Time Continues On
by PJJ0930
Summary: Starts after Eclipse, no Nessie. The family is almost completely destroyed the day of the wedding, who will survive and will new romances bloom? Will they seek revenge against the Volturi? A JasperXBella story
1. Chapter 1

Time passes even when you are not thinking about it… approximately 1:30 pm

It is one day before my wedding and I am so scared, elated and shocked. Me, Bella Swan , is going to marry the unbelievable Edward Cullen. Alice and Rose have taken me to a very expensive and beautiful resort in Seattle to keep Edward and I separated for the next 24 hours, change that to 23 hours and 12 minutes. Alice has planned the entire wedding, I at least convinced her to make it only family, but I am looking forward to what she has planned for us.

Now 22 hours and 36 minutes until I walk down the aisle. WOW, I think I am a bit stressed , I wonder where Rose and Alice have disappeared to. I guess I will get out of this bed and go look for them.

"Alice - Rose, where are you guys?" No answer, maybe they went down to the dress shop that Alice was pointing out earlier. Well, I might as well order myself some lunch. I called the restaurant and ordered a turkey and cheese sandwich, some fresh fruit and a Coke.

As I am sitting at the desk in the sitting room reading Witherington Heights for the millionth time when Rose and Alice finally come back carrying about ten bags each. I do not think these girls ever get tired of shopping.

"Hey Bella, sorry we were gone so long but we found the cutest dresses and shoes ," Alice nearly shouted. I just smiled and shook my head.

Just as they were setting their bags down a knock came at the door, finally, my lunch has arrived. Rose answered the door and signed the receipt for the lady delivering my food. She brought the tray over to me and stated, "you need to hurry up and eat we have a lot planned for this afternoon and evening." I groaned.

I finished my lunch and was literally dragged out the door by the girls. Well this should be interesting… "Come on it won't be that bad Bella," Alice sang. Rose laughed at the expression on my face. We headed to a rather upscale spa and I was kindly informed that I would be receiving the "works," whatever that meant. I found out very quickly that the "works" included a message, facial, pedicure, manicure as well as waxing. I can not believe they are going to allow a woman in this place to inflict that kind of pain on me.

Alice and Rose are taking me to some club tonight to celebrate the end of my single days, don't they realize that I would rather go and read my book and then go to bed? Oh well, might as well enjoy it. Of course now I have to sit through Bella Barbie dress up for the next hour or so.

"Bella you are going to have fun tonight, don't worry about it," Rose informed me using the "don't bitch about it" tone of voice.

"I'm trying to convince myself of that fact Rose," I tell her. She smiled noticing I was not going to put up any fight.

While the girls have their fun dressing me up I drift off thinking of everything that has lead up to this point. I met Edward, we had a great time together for several months, he left me (I don't even want to think about that time of my life), I flew to Italy and saved him from the Volturi, Alice promised they would change me into a vampire, Victoria attacked us and was destroyed, I graduated high school and agreed to marry Edward. A lot can happen to a girl in the matter of two years.

And that is just the beginning of it, Charlie, my dad, died in the line of duty two days after I graduated. I never would have made it through that without Esme, Edward and the rest of the Cullens. My mom fly up for the funeral and I have not spoken to her since because she was so non-caring and distant. Edward told me that she just could not deal with the loss of her ex-husband but I think she just wanted to live her own life and no longer be concerned with me or what I was dealing with. I miss my father terribly but at least I know he is in a better place now and he knows that I am happy with Edward.

"Earth to Bella," Alice said bringing me out of my daydream. "Come on lets get you dressed so we can head out"

They dressed me in a really cute outfit, dark washed jeans and a tight fitting burgundy top that made my chest look larger than it was and some ballet flats. At least they did not force me to wear heals.

"I'm so excited, I have not been to a club in nearly two years," Rose stated as we were flying down the highway in Alice's Porsche. I had to smile at her enthusiasm.

Six hours later, we leave the club after I finally convinced them I had to get some rest if I was going to make it down the aisle without falling on my face. Of course they both laughed at the thought of that but agreed it was in fact time to go. We made it back to our suite and I fell into bed fully clothed. Alice woke me up around 10 in the morning and informed me it was time to get ready for the wedding. "HOLY CRAP," I shouted and jumped out of bed, "I'm getting married today."

Alice and Rose spent several hours getting my hair and make up perfect, and informed me that I would put on my dress when we got back home. The drive back to Forks was long, although with Alice's driving it took about half as long as it should have.

"Where is Edward at?" I asked them as we were walking into the house.

"Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle and Edward went hunting this morning, but don't worry they will be back and ready before you even have your dress on," Alice informed me with a smile. The house looked the same as we walked in, I wondered where we were conducting the wedding at. Alice must have noticed the confused look on my face as she stated, "the ceremony will be in the back gardens, don't worry though, I kept everything simple for you two."

"Thank you Alice for everything, I don't know what I would do without you." I replied.

Little did I know today would be my last day with her and almost all of the rest of the Cullens.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This story is somewhat of a slow build, I had to start off with the first chapter just to show the setting. Hopefully it will become a better read as the story continues.**

**As always I own nothing *** characters belong to SM *****

Chapter 2

So here I sit in Alice's room waiting for her and Rose to come back and help me into my wedding dress. About an hour left until I can see the love of my life and the man I will spend eternity with. I can hear Emmett's booming laugh, so I know the men have returned from their hunting trip. I smile softly and once again I drift off into the world of my daydreams, thinking that I really wish Charlie was here to share this wonderful day with me and walk me down the aisle. Don't get me wrong Carlisle has become a second father to me and I am so very, very pleased that he agreed to give me to his son. I was ripped from my thoughts by a blood curdling scream.

Alice and Edward exploded into the room just as I was making my way to the door to see what happened. They both looked like their world was coming to an end and my heart sank. "Bella, we have very little time, the Volturi are coming and they are not going to listen to us. You need to leave, take my car and run, they won't find you, you have to leave now," Edward sobbed as he pulled me into a tight hug.

"NO, I will not leave you all, you are my life, my family, and if it is over than so be it, but I will not run. I will have no life left without you," I cried hysterically in Edwards's arms. God why now, on my wedding day, I have spent the last two years fighting fate and now it is finally coming to destroy me and my family.

Alice walked over to me, all life gone from her eyes and wrapped her tiny arms around me and Edward, "You are my best friends, my brother and my sister, and no matter what happens know that I love you and will be with you all forever." I continued to sob while the rest of the family walked into Alice's room. "How could you not see this sooner, Alice?" Edward roared. "There was no stopping this Edward, they believe we are too strong and their only purpose is to bring down the Cullen family," she responded softly.

Jasper pulled Alice into a strong embrace, "We will fight, we may lose, but we will not go down without a fight. I have not spent the last fifty years with this family to just lie down without a fight." There was a fire in his eyes I have only seen once and that was when we were in Phoenix, hiding from James. It terrified me and gave me hope, Jasper would fight to save this family, I had to believe that would help, they were all so strong; this could not be the end of the Cullens, of my family. Alice's words continued to run through my mind, she had seen this, she knew, and she keep it from us. Why? I continued to ponder this as I looked at my family watching their reaction to Jaspers statement.

Emmett and Rose were holding onto each other and simply nodded their heads to Jaspers' words. Carlisle, always the passive non-aggressive soul, stood beside Esme holding her hand, "We have to make them stop and listen, we have done nothing wrong, they have to stop.." he trailed off as Alice stepped away from Jasper shaking her head. "They won't stop, Jane and Alec will bring us down, there will be no discussion involved, we have no way to fight them," as the words left her mouth she dropped to the floor, "Bella will be the only one standing and they will not listen to her."

"No, she has to leave, she can not witness this family destroyed, they will just kill her as well," Edward stated, as if I was not even there. The anger that erupted from me nearly knocked Jasper to his knees and I let go of Edward and stood up, "How dare you Edward Cullen, I will not run from this, from these monsters, they can destroy me, I don't care because without you I do not want to continue to live. I have no family left to run to, Charlie is gone, Renee does not want me, where do I have to go?" I asked as I dropped beside Alice and embraced her. Edward and Jasper silently dropped beside us and joined our embrace.

We all stayed in the same positions for an immeasurable amount of time lost in our own thoughts, perhaps like me the family was remembering the good times we all shared and all of the love that flowed through this family. Alice's statement continued to run through my mind as well; perhaps not all would be lost today. Maybe some of the family will be ok, I have to hope and hold onto the love I feel for them. Jasper looked up at me and broke the silence, "Bella you are an amazing person, everyone in this room is emitting emotions of fear and anger except you. All I feel from you is love and hope."

"I refuse to allow them the pleasure of fear or anger, I choose to remember all of the times we have shared as a family and how much I love each of you," I stated simply. Carlisle and Esme walked over to me and embraced be, "We love you as well Bella, you are our daughter in all the ways that matter and you are stronger then you realize," Esme said.

"How long do we have until they arrive?" Emmett asked. For the first time since I met Emmett, all humor and good nature gone from his voice, he already sounded dead. I realized as I looked around the room, they had given up, all of them; I can't believe this is the end of us. I continued to send love to everyone, I knew Jasper felt it and forced it back into the room.

"They will be here within two hours," Alice stated without feeling. No one said anything, instead, we all went downstairs and into the back yard to await our future or our end. The only one that knew what was going to happen was Alice and she was not sharing her visions any longer, she blocked Edward from her mind and Jasper from her emotions. She completely shut down. Jasper just held her in his arms, rocking her gently. No one spoke, we just sat together trying to hold onto the last few moments we had with each other.

I kissed Edward gently on his lips, "I love you and will always love you for eternity," I whispered to him as tears ran down my face. He kissed me back and tried to wipe away my tears, they just kept coming. "Our time has been too short together my Bella, but remember, no matter what happens, these past two years have been the very best of my existence," he stated sadly, while trying to contain his dry sobs. Even Edward has given up, but I won't, I have to believe some of us will make it through this based on Alice's words earlier. I almost laughed out loud at the thought that I was the only one that was trying to remain positive. I glanced at Jasper and he lifted his eyebrows, trying to figure out I'm sure, what would have caused my emotions to shift to humor in this situation. I just shook my head. There was no way I was voicing that thought, once again I find myself thankful Edward can not read my mind.

"Ten minutes until they arrive," Alice moaned out through her dry sobs. We all gathered into a tight group and hugged and kissed each other, anticipating the worse from today. I am just going to hold on to the possibility that this will not be the end of us, at least not all of us.

Sorry for the cliffy 

Reviews would be appreciated *** hopefully next chapter will be up by the end of the week ***


	3. Chapter 3

*****I don't own the characters*** They belong to SM ******

Chapter 3

The men all stood together in front of the women, not that it would change the outcome if Alec used his gift on us. Alice was beside me holding my right hand while Esme held my left; Rose was on the other side of Esme. Alice stood on her tip toes to whisper in my ear, "If this goes as my visions have indicated and when you are ready there is a letter in Edwards stereo for you, take care of the ones that remain, they will need you more than ever." No one else heard her because the Volturi were now coming into view.

I knew it, I knew that she had seen this coming; the hope that had begun to fade from me came back full force. All would not be lost today. Then reality hit me head on, Alice would not make it, she left me a letter. Hope turned to despair, my best friend - my sister would perish at the hands of these bastards. Anger, hatred and grief filled me. Then the voice of my nightmares over took me.

"Hello my dear Cullens, I see you have not met our conditions regarding young Miss Bella," Aro chided. I looked at the monster that stood before us and for the first time in my life I wanted to kill someone. I decided right then, if I lived through this, Aro and the rest of his followers would die by my hands.

"Hello Aro, we are not going to neglect the agreement made by Edward and Alice regarding Bella, the change was scheduled to occur tomorrow after they were married today," Carlisle stated with a tone of disgust. Once again I found myself thanking the Gods above for not inviting anyone to our wedding; I could not handle being the cause of more loss. Edward and Jasper were growling fiercely, I could barely hear the words being spoken.

"Well they were warned to not delay this event and I believe they have delayed just a bit to long and I no longer feel like granting your coven a reprieve," Aro replied with a smile. "Alec, please bring piece to our surroundings, I wish to depart as soon as possible," he ordered. As soon as the words left his mouth I watched in horror as all of my family members dropped to the ground. They did not appear to be in pain but they looked as if they could not feel anything.

I tried to remain calm, although tears were still streaming down my face, as I spoke to Aro, "I thought you and the members of the Volturi were here to protect and ensure piece in the world of the immortals. This is not protection and nothing has occurred here that would justify the destruction of my family." Aro smiled what I imagine he believed to be a sincere smile and replied, "Ah, my dearest Bella, this is not about protection of our kind, this is about ensuring that no coven becomes so large that they could poise a threat to us. I am, however, rather shocked that you are still standing, I thought Alec's power would in fact work on you. It does seem that you were meant to be a vampire."

"This is a family, not a coven, perhaps you have in fact lost every bit of humanity you once had." I replied softly, and then found the anger in me again and asked louder, "What are your intentions now?" I could not longer stand here without asking that simple question, I had to know what he was going to do to my family, to my Edward.

"You see it is really quite simple, Bella, we are going to eliminate your two most powerful _family_ members, and then we will decide the other two that will perish today," he replied with a smirk. "Then you will continue with the remaining three, but the condition remains, you will be changed within the next two months or we will destroy all of the Cullens," he continued. The bastard was enjoying himself.

I dropped to my knees and begged, "Just kill me, I am the one that started all of this, just kill me and let them live. They are not evil and do not seek power, they just wish to live in peace within the boundaries placed on their existence." I looked into his eyes and knew it was too late; I was going to lose Edward, Alice and two others today. And he was going to let me live and make me suffer for eternity to save the others.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, you are so selfless. You really need to start thinking of yourself." He said somewhat offhand, and then he started speaking more to himself than me, "Which others should perish today? I believe that I must allow Carlisle to live; he was in fact a friend at one point in time. And his mate, it just seems unnecessarily cruel to destroy her. That leaves me three to pick from, I believe the beautiful blond and her mate will perish with Alice and Edward. That way you and Alice's mate can keep each other company." What is it with vampires and needing to be so dramatic, why couldn't he just destroy me and leave the others alone? I know why, he wants me to suffer, he wants the remaining Cullens to suffer, he is truly a monster.

I continued to stare at Aro as he shared his decisions with his "guard." I did not notice the small female vampire approaching me until she was about two feet from me. "Bella, you do not want to watch this, go in the house, the others will join you shortly. Do not suffer more than you need to, listen to me," I looked up at her and realized it was Jane, the wench that tried to knock me to the ground when we were in Italy. Why would she try to protect me now? "I can't leave them, just kill me, Edward is my life, just kill me," I responded, nearly begging her to end my life. "I'm sorry Bella, I can't, but you will not watch this," then she slapped me so hard that my face hit the soft grass and I slowly succumbed to the darkness.

Even in the darkness I could hear the worst sounds in the world. The sounds of my fiancé, my sisters and my brother being destroyed. I opened my eyes when all was quite only to witness the pieces of my family members being tossed into a large fire. The grief and shock overtook me, and I finally blacked out. The sobs racked through my body, although I could not feel them, the tears still streamed from eyes, I'm not sure how, and I stayed this way for two days.

As I started to regain awareness of my surroundings, I heard the voices of angels, "She will come around when her mind can begin to come to terms with what has occurred," I heard Carlisle say softly. "She has been like this for two days, I can not feel anything from her, it's like she has died," Jasper responded. He sounded so desperate, and so full of fear. What was he afraid of? Were those evil bastards still here?

At that thought everything that had occurred came pouring back into my mind and I screamed. Jasper, Esme and Carlisle were beside me immediately. "Bella? Bella honey, wake up and talk to us honey," Esme said softly. Always so motherly. I opened my eyes and saw the three remaining family members of the Cullens and started sobbing again, "I'm so sorry, I tried to talk to Aro, he would not listen, he refused, I begged him to take me instead of them. Oh my God, they're gone. EDWARD, ALICE, EMMETT, ROSE, gone because I failed them, gone because I was too weak. Why, why would they do this? Why?" I screamed out. "Please just kill me, I should have died years ago, just kill me," I begged.

"Bella, I'm going to calm you down now, you need to stop blaming yourself. You are the only one that was able to try to fight for us. We all heard you, we could not feel anything but we heard everything," Jasper said into my ear. "Please Bella; we need you to stop trying to take the blame for everything. It's not always your fault, sweetheart, we need you, I need you," he continued softly.

"Jasper, why did they leave me to live? They took away our angels and left me, I am just a plain human girl. Why? Can you please tell me why? They stole four members of this family for no reason, they did nothing wrong," I nearly shouted, the anger was coming again, "That piece of crap will pay for this." That was all I could get out before I starting sobbing again.

Jasper and Carlisle exchanged a look I could not completely comprehend, and then Carlisle responded to me, "Bella, Aro wanted to ensure they would remain the most powerful coven of vampires. Edward and Alice constituted a threat to him and his brothers. They are cowards, they destroyed a large part of my family two days ago but they did not destroy the Cullens. We will remain and we will stay strong as a family. They left us you, Bella; you will be a very special vampire because you are already an amazingly gifted, strong, intelligent and beautiful woman."

"Thank you Carlisle for your kind words," I responded to him with a tone of disbelief. I looked around and noticed I was in Edwards's bed. I sat up, climbed off the bed and started walking to his stereo as I recalled the final words Alice had said to me. The letter, the letter is in Edwards stereo. "Can you guys give me a little space to think about some stuff, please?" I asked them gently. I did not want them in here when I read her letter; I was terrified of what it would say.

"Yes, of course Bella, just call us if you need anything, we will be beside you in seconds," Esme hugged me as she said the words. Jasper gave me a small smile and Carlisle hugged me as well before departing the room. I reached Edwards stereo and opened the CD compartment, there wasn't anywhere else she could have put a letter. In the compartment was a folded envelope, with Bella written in beautiful script across the front.

I grabbed the envelope and walked back to the bed, my hands were shaking so bad, I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to open the envelope. I sat there just staring at her handwriting again wondering how God could have allowed her to be taken from me, from us, especially from Jasper. I took several deep breaths to calm myself and open the envelope. I pulled out the letter and realized I might not be able to share this with the rest of them if she asked me not to. That thought made the tears return and I sat there again trying to calm myself. I braced myself for the worst and unfolded the letter:

_Dearest Bella, My Sister, My Best Friend,_

_I am so sorry for hiding this from everyone, but no matter what I did the outcome was always worse if I did not leave it as it was originally set to be. I am so very, very sorry Emmett and Rose had to meet this fate as well. Please never forget that I loved you as a sister and Edward loved as a soul mate. I don't have a great deal of time to tell you everything that I need to so here it goes. _

_You are going to be an amazing vampire; Aro was right about one thing, you were destined to be one of us. He however, did not realize how special you will truly be. Bella, you will have extraordinary powers, beyond anything we have ever seen. Take the time to learn from them before you chase your destiny. You already know what it is, as you decided it while we were all together. Jasper will help you, you have to trust him, and he is far more special than he knows. He believes his power to be weak, but he is truly one of the most gifted amongst us. _

_You will be beautiful as a vampire, of course you are already, but you will be stunning after your change. If I can manage it from the afterlife, Edward and I will take away all of your pain during your change. But if that is not possible, please believe when I tell you your change will not take as long as it took for the rest of us. _

_You will find love again, and when you do it will be stronger than any love that has ever been felt. Your true soul mate is just waiting for you. You will know when the time is right. Edward loved you but he was not you soul mate, he will find his in the afterlife. I am not sharing this with you to upset you further, but you need to know there will be no comparison when the time comes._

_To answer you concern you were having as you were opening this, yes please share this with the family, they need to know what their roles will be._

_Carlisle – you will always be the compassionate, level headed leader of the Cullens. Take care of Bella until it is time for her to spread her wings. She will always be your daughter. More will join you, take them in as you did Jasper and I. Love Esme for eternity you complete each other._

_Esme – your role remains the same as well, take care of your children, you will have many, until they need to go on their own. They will always come to you for motherly love and advice. Always love Bella and Jasper for me as well._

_My Dearest Jasper – What a roller coaster of a ride we had. Like I said earlier you need to stay with Bella, be her strength, her friend, she will need you. Your true soul mate is awaiting you as well. Same as I said to Bella you will know when the time is right. I will always cherish what we shared, you were more to me than my husband, you were my best friend as well. Share yourself with the ones around you, let them in, you will be rewarded greatly. Your gift is beautiful once you realize its' potential. I will always love you._

_To everyone, we will be watching and protecting you from the heavens. If ever you are lonely look to the sky and call our names we will be listening. We will be the wind in your hair, the rain that falls around you and the snow that lands on your beautiful faces. We will always be with you._

_With all of my love,_

_Alice Cullen_

I dropped the letter on the bed and called out to my family. They needed to read this.

*****Reviews are appreciated****


	4. Chapter 4

Characters belong to SM***

Chapter 4

Carlisle, Esme and Jasper nearly crashed into each other as they tried to get into the room. It was actually somewhat comical to watch. Once they all made there way to the bed I handed the letter to Carlisle. I figured as the leader of the family he should read it first. "Oh God, she new, how could she keep this from us," He said so softly I nearly did not hear him. "Alice always has her reasons, please just read it and share it with the others," I asked him while tears were still running down my face.

Carlisle finished the letter and handed it to Esme; she then passed it to Jasper. "How could she, she didn't even say goodbye," Jasper stated as he sank onto the bed. I scooted over to him to wrap my arms around him, but he pushed me away, "I don't want you to touch me, this is all your fault, you never belonged in this family, you destroyed it." He screamed at me and bolted from the room. I gasped and fell back onto the bed. Esme sat next to me and gently stroked my hair as I laid there whimpering, while my tears soaked the pillow.

Carlisle left the room without a sound; I imagine going check on Jasper. He was right, I did destroy this family, it is entirely fault. I never belonged in this world. Esme did not say anything she just sat there with me gently rubbing my back... After several hours she finally spoke, "Bella please don't believe him, you completed us, you were our missing puzzle piece. Even after all the horrible things you have seen of our world, you stayed with us, you shared your love with us. Please don't give up on this family; we need you now more than ever. He was just upset, Alice left you a letter and not him, she told him to stay with you and help you, it's a lot for him to take in."

"Esme, thank you again for your kind words, but once again I am going to ask for my privacy. I know Jasper is hurt and upset, but his words are very true. I did bring on the destruction of your family, it is all my fault. But right now I would like to just lay here and rest for a bit," I responded to her barely in a whisper. "Bella this is not your fault but I will let you be for now, if you need anything just call for me. I will bring you some dinner in a little while," Esme said as she stood up to leave me to my thoughts.

I must have fallen a sleep because when I opened my eyes I was not alone in Edwards' room. Jasper was sitting on the couch just staring at me. "Are you actually awake this time?" He asked in a gentle voice. "Yeah, were there a lot of times you thought I was awake?" I responded curtly. "You talk in your sleep, very clearly, yes I thought you had awoken several times. Esme left you some dinner on the table, you should eat," he responded using the same tone I had with him.

I got out of the bed and started walking towards the bathroom, I stopped at the door and turned around, "Jasper, I don't need a babysitter while I sleep or eat. Please go do whatever it is that you do." I told him as I turned back into the bathroom and shut the door. I really needed a shower, my hair was in knots, the make up from my wedding day was still partially on my face. My wedding day, the worst day of my life, that is the last thought you should ever have to associate with your wedding. The tears were running freely again and I didn't even bother trying to stop them. I turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. I undressed and stepped in allowing the warm water to help me relax. As I washed my hair I thought back to Alice's letter, I would get my revenge on the Volturi, she said it was my destiny. Of course she also told me I was destined to be with Edward, I don't believe anything anymore. I trust no one, I am now alone. The family will all hate me as the events of two days ago replay time and time again in their minds. Jasper already hates me and blames me for everything, I am alone. Carlisle will have to change me to meet Aro's demands and as soon as that is done I will leave and never bother the Cullens again.

I turned off the water and climbed out the shower. I slipped into a tank top and pair of fleece pajama bottoms. Certainly no one left to impress and I don't plan on leaving Edwards room until I leave the family for good. I brushed my hair and teeth and opened the bathroom door. Jasper had not moved from his place on the couch and was staring at me again.

***JPOV****

I can't believe Alice left a letter for Bella, but said nothing to me. Anger and pain, which is all I feel right now. I can't believe I said those horrible things to Bella, I just lashed out at her as she tried to comfort me, God what was I thinking. Well obviously I wasn't. Oh crap, here comes Carlisle, he going to rip me to pieces and scatter my body parts around so it will take decades to find them.

"What the hell were you thinking Jasper? Like she already doesn't blame herself for everything that has happened. You felt like confirming it for her would make you feel better? Well does it?" He demanded.

"Carlisle I am so sorry, I was hurt by Alice's choices and I lashed out at Bella for no good reason. I don't believe what I said and I feel like a complete asshole for making her feel that it is her fault. It isn't, no one is at fault in this except the Volturi. I will go straighten this out with her right now." I responded in the sincerest tone I could.

"Son, I understand you have experienced great loss, but remember she has as well. Alice also has just informed her that she is going to be the most powerful vampire we have ever seen. She is so very strong, but she does not see her strength, she needs to be told often and she needs someone to support her through this. Alice indicated it should be you, but I do not know if she will ever trust you after your little outburst." He finished his statement softly.

"I will go fix this now, I will not let Alice, Bella or you down. I will be whatever she allows me to be. I promise," I turned around and ran as fast as I could back to the house. The pain I felt for myself was nothing compared to the pain that hit me coming from Edwards room. I was nearly knocked to the ground by the force of it. She will definitely be one hell of a vampire; if she can bring me down with her emotions as a human I can only imagine her strength as one of us.

I ran into the house and saw Esme in the kitchen making Bella some dinner; I wonder when the last time she ate was. It had to be days ago, the poor thing. I darted up the stairs and opened the bedroom door. I was immediately overwhelmed with her scent, it truly is intoxicating. I found her sleeping on Edwards bed wrapped in a fetal position and the pain was just continuing to roll off of her in waves. Once again I was nearly brought to my knees.

I sat on the couch watching her sleep, after several minutes she started talking. I thought she had woken up she spoke so clear. _"I am so sorry Jasper, I will leave the Cullens as soon as I can, I never meant to cause you this pain."_ I walked over to her, but she was definitely sound asleep, but the talking continued. _"You will die for what you did to my family. Go to hell Aro." _Good God this girl has vivid dreams. As I sat watching her, I thought back to the words of Alice's letter, I need to be there for Bella, my power is stronger than I know. What was she talking about? I guess only time will tell. Right now I have to focus on repairing the damage I have done to Bella. Esme dropped off a tray of food and gave me a soft smile but said nothing.

She finally started to stir and I couldn't resist asking her, "Are you actually awake this time?" she blushed and responded rather curtly, "Yeah, were there a lot of times you thought I was awake?"

"You talk in your sleep; very clearly, yes I thought you had awoken several times. Esme left you some dinner on the table, you should eat," I responded using the same tone she had with me. She was definitely pissed at me, not that I could blame her, it was my doing.

She got out of the bed and started walking towards the bathroom, she stopped at the door and turned around, "Jasper, I don't need a babysitter while I sleep or eat. Please go do whatever it is that you do." she told me and turned back into the bathroom and shut the door. This is going to be harder than I thought.

I heard her start crying again and the water turn on. She was in so much pain, more than me, I wonder why? I will have to think about that later. As I focused on her emotions I could not believe the array that were flowing from her, the constants were self-loathing and love, but the others, pain, grief, hate, determination, loneliness and acceptance. I did not know that humans could have so many emotions course through them at the same time; I thought it would kill them. But Bella has never been just another human. She is part of this family and I love her as a sister and I need her. I really messed this one up.

Finally the water shut off and she got out. I heard her get dressed brush her hair and her teeth, finally the door opened. I stared at her as she opened the door, good lord she looked beautiful, even through all this stress her beauty shined through. She was not a beauty like Rose; her beauty truly started from the inside and just flowed to the outside. She was positively radiant. I stood up and walked over to her, I sensed no fear just wonder. She truly was a unique soul in this world. I wrapped my arms around her and as sincerely as I could I make the words sound I told her, "Bella, I am so sorry, I am a complete ass, you have completed this family. You were the missing piece, even through all of this; we would not be the same without you. Please forgive me for what I said, I was upset and I lashed out at you. I was wrong and the words I said were a complete lie. None of this is your fault; the fault only lies with the Volturi. You fell in love and we all fell in love with you. Please forgive me."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - BPOV

I retreated from Jaspers embrace and responded the only way I could, "Jasper, please stop apologizing. Everything you said is true, I did cause all of this. I should have stayed away from Edward when he warned me but I didn't. I have caused all of you so much pain and I can never make that up to any of you. You have lost you wife, your two brothers and your sister. I will only stay until I am changed, then I will leave you all alone. Aro insisted I be changed or the rest of you will be killed." The tears were streaming down my face again, but I had to set him free, he should not feel guilty for speaking the truth. I was staring at the floor at this point but I continued, "You have no reason to feel guilty for speaking the truth. I will stay out of your way while I am here. Please go back to your life and try to seek out your true love as Alice indicated."

He gently placed a cool finger under my chin and lifted my face to meet his gaze, "Isabella Marie Swan, the words I spoke earlier were the furthest thing from the truth, I will not allow you to hide from us. Nor will I allow you to misread my emotions, the guilt you felt was not because I spoke the truth, it was because I never should have said the words, you deserve better than that. You deserve the world. You are beautiful inside and out. You are a truly selfless creature that should be respected and adored. I had no right to say those words to you and when you are changed you will take advantage of your new found strength and beat the crap out of me." He said with a smile. I am certain my cheeks were a lovely crimson color at this point because of his kind words. But I still don't believe him and I will leave as soon as I can. I will not cause any further pain to this family.

"Jasper, your words are very kind, but believe me when I say you, Carlisle and Esme will be far better off without me complicating your lives. I will stay until I can control myself, but as soon as I am not a threat to the outside world, I will leave. I made a promise to those that we lost when I saw the Volturi approaching us, I will keep that promise and you will not stop me. Please excuse me, I can smell the food Esme brought me and I am absolutely starving." I broke our gaze and turned to the tray of food on the table and began eating the sandwich and fruit Esme brought me. Jasper did not take my hint to leave, but continued the conversation.

"Bella, I promise you now, I will help you gain your control after your change, but you have to know that my world will not be better off without you. You are the only thing keeping me from falling into an abyss of sadness and self-loathing. You were the one left standing the other day , you had the courage to challenge them. Not me, not Carlisle, YOU. We can not change the past but we damn sure can control our futures. Alice will no longer dictate that, we will. Your destiny may be set, but you will not face it alone again. I WILL be with you." Jasper stated, the fire I saw the other day returning to his eyes. I finished my dinner before replying and stood up to face him.

"Jasper, thank you, I can not guarantee you that I will not face the future alone, but I will try to let you in. I still believe you were not lying when you said what you said earlier, I know somewhere you truly believe those words. And because of that you will never fully forgive me for your loss. I love this family as my own, you all have stood beside me during some of the hardest days of my life, but I know now is the time I need to focus on me and find my strength so I can be what Alice sees," I turned from him and crawled into bed, pulling the blanket up around my shoulders. I did not wait for him to respond this time, "Goodnight Jasper, see you tomorrow."

I did not hear him move across the run but I did hear the door softly click when he closed it behind himself. Finally, I am alone with my thoughts. I laid in bed for hours trying to figure out what I did to deserve the pain I have suffered over the past several months. I thought losing Charlie would destroy me, but it only made me stronger, perhaps this will have the same effect over time. Time, something I used to worry about daily, now it just continues on, I don't want to think about it any more, I just wish I could turn back the hands and bring my family back together. I miss Edward, I have not fallen asleep without him in nearly six months. I can feel myself sinking back into the pit of despair I was in when he left me before. Tears are flowing freely again, damn I am tired of crying, my body should be finished producing tears, I shouldn't have any left.

My thoughts return to Alice's letter, Edward wasn't my soul mate according to her, I still don't believe that. Edward was my life and those monsters stole him from me and they will suffer for it. Fear, what if she is right, what if Edward was supposed to be the one for me? Hate, that is something I have not experienced in my life before I met the Volturi, now I know it and I will embrace it.

JPOV

"Goodnight Jasper, see you tomorrow," she dismissed me. I have a new level of respect for that woman, she shows no fear to the predator within us. She put me in place several times during our conversation and she openly challenged Aro and Jane, she is like a stick of dynamite just waiting for the fuse to be lit. I left her room but I just sat down outside her door, I wanted to feel her emotions. I also wanted to be close so I can try to help her through the nightmares that are sure to visit tonight.

I could hear Esme and Carlisle discussing the inevitable move that we will have to make in the coming weeks. We can not change her and stay in Forks, the dogs will hunt us for breaking the treaty, and we won't be able to guarantee the safety of the residents of forks with a newborn vampire. I am certain she will be different from any other I have dealt with, she is so different from all other humans as it is. I do look forward to working with her, I imagine based on the strength of her emotions now, as a vampire she will knock me on my ass with any strong emotion she feels.

I can hear her crying again, so I focus on reading the emotions coming from her. Loss, loneliness, despair, love, fear and an overwhelming feeling of hate. I understand the loss, the loneliness and the despair, but what concerns me is the fear and the hate. I have never felt those two emotions radiate from her, I can't imagine what is causing the fear. The hate is scaring me, it is so strong, if she holds onto that in her immortality she will be an unstoppable force. Thinking of Alice's letter again, I have to remind myself she will be an unstoppable force without hate. Maybe she will open up to me before she goes through the burn and I can help to reduce some of that hate. She is already so fierce without having to bring that horrible emotion to this life.

Love is always within her emotions, I have never been near anyone that always emits love, it is intriguing. Whomever is meant for her will be one lucky man, the fact that she can hold onto love even after all of the loss she has experienced is incredible and very unusual. Most people, human or vampire, would have given up on love after all of the loss. But not Bella, she holds onto it. Even when we were awaiting the Volturi, facing our demise, love and hope radiated out of her.

I listen to Bella again, the soft sobs are still coming from her but her breathing has regulated now, she has finally succumbed to the sleep she needed so badly. I can feel her emotions changing, as she drifts into a deeper sleep. She is probably going to be angry with me again, but I have to be closer to her in order to ward off the nightmares. I silently enter the bedroom and sit down next to the bed. She is not sleeping peacefully by any means, she has thrown the blanket from herself and is softly muttering something. I can not make out her words but I can tell the dream is getting worse based on the expression on her face. I begin sending her wave after wave of calm and serenity, it is the least I can do for the beauty laying before me. She finally relaxes and slips into a deeper sleep.

My mind drifted back to a different time, her 18th birthday, the day that set all of this into motion. Alice was so excited about finally throwing a real birthday party for someone, ours are a bit boring seeing as our age never really changes. Edward was thrilled to be able to share this with Bella, never once did it cross his mind that she would be in any danger. He main emotions since returning from Italy were protection and control, love was there but it was not very strong. I never questioned it, or thought about around him but I did wonder if he was only staying with Bella because he somehow thought he owed it to her. I hope that was not the case, but the more I ponder it the more I believe that is why he stayed with her. The worst part about that thought is the damage it would case Bella if she ever knew. She gave him her love without hesitation, hell she even risked her life just to be with him. Alice was right they were not soul mates. How easily my mind drifts, back to the party, everythhing was perfect until Bella opened her gift from Edward and Alice. She simply got a papercut and all hell broke loose.

How Alice did not have a vision of that occurring is beyond me, she always saw everything that involved Bella. I would have been fine if I could have stopped everyone's emotions from clouding my judgement fast enough, instead I tried to attack her. Thank God Emmett and Rose had enough control to remove me from the house. Alice and Edward never trusted me after that, but neither of them ever admitted they were part of the lack of my control. Blood lust multiplied by five is impossible to ignore. Bella forgave me immediately without a second thought, she has always trusted me , she always emitted trust a faith to me. Damnit, why couldn't Alice do that for me also. Bella and I have more in common then she realizes, I was handled by Edward and Alice for half a century, she was handled by them for nearly two years of her life. Neither of us were trusted to make our own choices and neither of us ever challanged them. Well, I guess Bella did, when it came to seeing her best friend Jacob Black, and she beat them. She is stronger than me already and she is still human.

I just hope her faith in me continues, I could never harm her. And if she actually believes I will not follow her when she ready to leave she is sadly mistaken. I will do as Alice asked me to in her letter I will stay with Bella and together we will meet our destiny.

I am pulled from my thought as Bella starts talking, she is so forthcoming in her sleep. "Thank you Jasper, you will never follow me, we will walk together as a team," my dead heart nearly dropped to the floor at her words. I have never been part of a team, I followed Maria's orders, then I followed Alice's orders. A team, Bella and I, what a glorious thought. I will always support her and she will always support me, we believe in each other and that is all we need. Her emotions are starting to go haywire again, and she is beginning to stir. Should I leave? No I will not hide the fact that I came to sit beside her last night.

"Jasper?" here we go, she's awake. "Why are you here, is something wrong?" she asks with a husky, sleep filled voice. "Nothing is wrong, I came in last night after you fell asleep to try to ward off your nightmares, please don't be upset with me, I just wanted you to get a good night of rest." Her emotions have shifted to sincere gratitude and love, always love. "Thank you, I did not have any nightmares, and I am sure that is because you stayed with me and calmed me throughout the night. I really do appreciate it." She said with a smile. Her smiles could bring happiness to a room of damned souls.

"You are very welcome, I was more than happy to do that for you. I will let you have some privacy now. Please come downstairs when you can," I asked in a gentle voice. She simply nodded her head and smiled again. I left her so she could have some space. I don't know what filled her dreams last night but she seems to be in total control of her emotions today, I just hope it continues this way.

A/N - Jasper is not in love with Bella at this point, but he has more respect for her than he has ever felt for anyone in his life. The have to learn to fully trust each other before they can find love. Trust was always missing from their past relationships.

Please review


	6. Chapter 6

*** Character belong to SM***

A/N - This chapter is focusing on Bella coming to terms with herself. The action will start in the next couple of chapters.

Chapter 6 – BPOV

Jasper's words were so kind. He spoke with such sincerity. I was awful to him yesterday, I said so many cruel things and yet he continues to come to my side. Perhaps my dream last night will become reality. My dream, what a beautiful dream it was, Jasper and I were walking side by side through a snow covered field discussing what the future held for us. I shared with him my intent to seek revenge against Aro and the Volturi guard for their crimes against our loved ones. He told me that he would follow me wherever I went. It dawned on me that I did not want someone to follow me; I told him that he would never follow me, that we would do this together as a team. He smiled beautifully at me and told me he would always be by my side. My dream ended with us smiling at each other.

Somehow, that dream set me free from the emotional turmoil I have been in for the past several days. Perhaps because I now believe that I will not face the future alone. I never would have believed that Jasper and I would have become close after the tragic loss we both experienced. I assumed that he would hate me, but it would appear that he truly cares for me as a member of this family.

The one thing that keeps entering my mind is why is the whole that ripped open when Edward left me before not reopening? When he left before I was lifeless for months, I couldn't even think his name without having to wrap my arms around myself so I would not fall over in pain. Of course I miss him, but I am not incomplete without him here. What were the things that I was missing? I miss his embrace and our soft kisses, but I don't miss the control he tried to place over me, nor do I miss being treated like a porcelain doll that has to be left on the shelf and never be touched. We had stopped having real conversations with one another several weeks after we returned from Italy. We would argue about Jake, we would argue about me becoming a vampire, but we still felt love for each other so I think, looking back at it now, we just stayed together because it was comfortable. I felt I owed him and I am certain he felt he owed me after our visit to Italy.

Perhaps admitting and accepting these faults that were very obvious in our relationship has helped me to mature and gain a new understanding of what a healthy relationship should feel like. I can't believe it has only been days since he was destroyed. Already I have come to terms with the loss, and I finally believe Alice, we were not soul mates. Our relationship was far from one of being equals, he was always the dominant force in it and never really listened to what I wanted or needed.

I walked into the bathroom to try to make myself look half way decent. My eyes had a bright red ring around them from crying so much, but other than that I did not look as bad as I thought I would. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up. As I stepped into the shower I again thought back to Alice's letter, she said I would be stunning as a vampire; I certainly want to believe that! I have never thought of myself as overly pretty, I always looked at myself as average by human standards. I have a decent body, thin but not too thin, my proportions are balanced. I'm average height, nothing special that's for sure. Perhaps as a vampire I will be something special. I guess only time will tell.

I finished my shower and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, something simple, the way I liked it. I brushed my hair not bothering to blow it dry, it could dry naturally today, the family had some things to we needed to discuss. I opened my bedroom door and was overcome by the scents of breakfast being cooked downstairs. I really was feeling ravenous after not eating for days. I headed downstairs to face my family.

"Good morning Bella," Esme called out when she heard me approaching. "Good morning Esme, something smells delicious." She smiled up at me, "I made you waffles, eggs and bacon. I hope you are hungry." I returned her smile, "I am starving, thank you for making my breakfast." After I loaded up my plate, I made my way to the dining room table where Carlisle and Jasper were sitting and discussing something in voices to soft for me to hear.

"Morning Carlisle, morning Jasper," I greeted them with a warm smile. "Morning Bella," they said at the same time, I had to chuckle at that. "So I guess we have some things we need to discuss today?" I asked as I took a seat next to Jasper and Esme sat down next to Carlisle.

"Yes Bella we do need to make some plans, however, first we need to clear the air. Esme and I overheard your discussion with Jasper yesterday; I promise we were not trying to listen." Carlisle stated in a tone of disapproval as I looked down at my plate of food. "We love you as a daughter, nothing that happened this week was your fault. I truly believe this chain of events was set into motion the day Edward met you. Everything happens for a reason. You have been through hell these past years and most people, human or vampire, would have given up or ran from all of it. Bella, you are so incredibly strong, through everything, you continue to share your love with us and you never lost faith in us. You have given us more than we can ever give you in return. Yes we lost part of our family, but we still have you and Jasper. We love you both and we do not want either of you to leave our family. It would crush us, we have already lost so much, and we can not take losing your two as well." Carlisle finished trying to hold back a sob.

I got from the table and walked over to him and Esme, I wrapped my arms around both of them, "We are not leaving you, I said some awful things yesterday, I can not take them back, but I do regret saying them. Jasper and I both said things yesterday that caused each other pain as well as you two. I am so sorry for that. Thank you again for believing in me, this morning I came to terms with many things. I can not discuss everything now, but believe me when I say we will never leave you, even when we have things we have to address without you guys, you will always be our Mom and Dad. And we will always return to you for guidance and love." I was crying again by the time I finished. Esme and Carlisle were both dry sobbing with me.

Jasper walked over to me and embraced me in a very tight hug, "I can never apologize enough for the harsh words I spoke yesterday, but thank you for including me in what you just said." He kissed the top of my head and turned to Esme and Carlisle, "Bella is correct, we will never fully leave you, and you will always be our parents in all the ways that matter and we love you both very much."

Carlisle collected himself and returned to his look of determination, "Well, now that all of that is cleared up," he smiled, "we need to decide where we will move to and when. We obviously need to leave in the next few weeks. I have some ideas but I would like to get everyone's input before a decision is made." Jasper and I returned to our seats while Carlisle was speaking, "I think we should consider Alaska," Jasper stated, " The Denali's are there and we could use their help after Bella goes through her change."

"What do you mean, help me after my change?" I asked, I did not know what if any special gifts the group in Alaska had. "One of the family members up there can identify gifts within others, if we believe what Alice said, and I never bet against her, his assistance could be very beneficial," Jasper responded to me with a hint of sadness in his voice. How easily I forget the pain he must be in without Alice beside him. He has been so supportive of me, it is about time I return the favor.

"That is what I was thinking as well, do you ladies have any thoughts or concerns regarding moving to Alaska?" Carlisle asked Esme and I. Esme responded before I could, "I think Alaska would be perfect, we already have a house up there and it would be nice to be near Carmen and the group up there. I think we should plan to leave in the next few days, not weeks." Esme stood up and grabbed my now empty plate and walked into the kitchen.

"Bella, are you OK with Alaska and Esme's suggestion of timing?"

"Yes, I think Alaska would be wonderful, if I recall from a previous conversation with Emmett, Alaska has a good selection of wildlife for everyone also," I replied with a grin. "As far as the timing I just need a day to say goodbye to Charlie and Jake." "Yes, of course you should take some time to say goodbye to your father as well as Jacob. Also, we need to decide when would be the best time to change you." Carlisle was very uneasy discussing this based on his tone of voice and the sad look on his face.

"I would like a few weeks in Alaska before the change, I want to experience some of the area as a human first." I calmly replied. I glanced at Jasper and he just gave me a quick smile and looked back to Carlisle. "Ok so let's plan on changing you three weeks after we move up there, we will leave Forks in five days. That way we do not get too close to the Volturi's demands of it occurring within two months." After receiving a nod from Jasper and I, Carlisle left the room, I imagine on his way to his study.

"I'm going upstairs, I'll see you later Jasper." I gave him small wave and walked back to Edwards' room. As I entered the room I was assaulted with the sweet scent of him, the tears began flowing again. I walked over to his vast collection of CD's but I did not want to listen to music. I decided to just go lay down again and try not to think too hard.

As I laid there my mind ran through the discussions I had the past few days. Most conversations were between Jasper and I, it was still rather peculiar that he and I have developed a bond. I have always trusted him, even after my 18th birthday, I know he will never harm me. I wonder why Alice and Edward always insisted I keep my distance from him. We shared several hugs these past few days and never once did he hold his breath or look like he was struggling with control. Maybe I will ask him about it.

Alice and Edward, they certainly spent plenty of time controlling Jasper and I. We both followed their orders without hesitation. Well I guess I pushed back some, at least when it came to Jake. Jake, my best friend, he will never forgive me for becoming one of his sworn enemies. I am so happy he found his soul mate, I understood the draw between them the first time I met her. Amanda, she is a beautiful girl from one of the reservations south of Forks, she absolutely completes Jake and he completes her. They are a dynamic pair and they both deserve all of the happiness in the world. It will be heartbreaking to say goodbye to them, but I have no choice. The monsters from Italy will harm no one else in my family.

My thoughts return to Jasper, I have to come up with a means to illustrate to him how much I appreciate what he has done for me. I also want to assure him that he can trust and confide in me. I will never injure him, my faith in him will never falter. I already trust him with my life and if he is willing to help me through my time as a newborn and walk the path of my destiny with me I will provide him with anything he wants. I do hope Alice is right about him finding his soul mate. Any woman that earns his love is going to be exceedingly fortunate.

I was brought back to the present by a light tap on the door, "Bella, it's Jasper, can I come in?" I smiled to myself, if everyone I thought about materialized like he does I would be in trouble, "Sure come on in Jasper."


	7. Chapter 7

*****SM owns the characters*****

**A/N - Thank you all for the reviews. To answer a question that I received - Bella came to to the realization that Edward was not her soul mate so easily because he is gone. He spent so much time with her and constantly controlled everything she did, she never had space to think about what was right and wrong in their relationship. Edward always spent a lot of time "dazzling" her. Given time alone she is able to draw upon her strength that was suppressed when with him. My Bella will be very strong by the end of this story (she is already showing that strength) and she will also gain her self confidence (with the help of Jasper of course) --- Hope that helps to explain it, let me know what you think!  
**

Chapter 7 - JPOV

I had to talk to her, her emotions all day have been so in control. I have to try to figure out what has caused her to settle herself so easily. I tap lightly on her door, "Bella, it's Jasper, can I come in?" I ask, hoping she will say yes. "Sure come on in Jasper," well at least she is allowing me to come in. I opened the door and was immediately assaulted with her scent and Edwards. Her blood no longer held any temptation for me, I wonder if that is because we shared something so traumatic. I do have to find out how she can stand to stay in here with his scent covering everything, maybe that is her way of holding on. I can not even open the door to Alice's room, well I guess it was technically our room, but it really only housed her belongings, mine are in my study.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but I have to ask you something," I said as I went to sit next to her on the bed. "You're not bothering me and go ahead and ask away," she replied with another of her heart warming smiles. "Well, I have been feeling your emotions all day and I don't understand what has caused you to gain so much control. The last few days they have been all over the spectrum and changing so rapidly they nearly brought me to my knees. Can you tell me what has changed?" I asked hesitantly while meeting her gaze. Wow, you can virtually see into her soul when you look into the depths of her eyes. Edward always hated that he couldn't read her mind, but I think if he had been paying better attention and not trying to rely on his gift so much her would have seen many answers looking into her gorgeous brown eyes. I saw a flash of something I could not immediately identify, I reached out to her emotions again. The strongest was love, as usual, but there was also embarrassment, concern, hope and humor.

"Where should I start," she said more to herself than me as her blush started to stain her cheeks, "I guess I will start with my dream last night and then explain the realities that hit me today. Oh, did I talk in my sleep last night?" She asked me, again with embarrassment flashing through her. "Only a little, you said 'Thank you Jasper, you will never follow me, we will walk together as a team,' I didn't really understand it, but it sure did warm me to my core." She was blushing crimson at this point. "Ok, I definitely have to start with the dream. We were walking together through a snow covered clearing and I was explaining to you my plans for the future and you told me that you would follow me wherever I went, but I further explained I did not want you to follow me, I wanted us to go together as a team." She was studying the blanket beneath her as she explained her dream to me and speaking in barely a whisper.

"Bella, please don't be embarrassed, you are the first person I have ever met that has had unconditional faith in me. You are always comfortable with me and when you spoke those words in your sleep, my thoughts were that you were the first to ever want me beside them and not tell me what to do. You know my horrific past, I followed Maria's orders and then I followed Alice's orders. If you try to deny my presence in your future I will follow you, but I hope this dream foretells of a different path for us." I tried to explain how she made me feel, while lifting her chin to meet my gaze. What is going on with her, humor is emitting from her again. I raised my eyebrows at her.

She chuckled before replying, "I was just thinking right before you knocked on the door about how much control Alice and Edward had over us. It really was pitiful that we did not stand up to them more often. I know my relationship was far from healthy with Edward looking back at it now. I can not speak for you, but I never want that kind of control placed over me again. As far as you having to follow me, you never will have to. We will walk beside each other, regardless of what our future holds. I do hope that Alice was correct about one thing; that you and I will both find our soul mates, I can't imagine eternity without someone to love and cherish. Jasper, just so you know, I will always trust you and I will always have faith in you. You are a remarkable man and any woman that gains your love will truly be blessed." As she spoke she never let her eyes drop from mine, her words were so honest, she radiated love and respect to me.

"Bella, I do believe your are the most special person I have ever met. You always emit love, regardless of what is going on, love is always pouring from you. I have never encountered someone like you. You are one of a kind. And I agree with your assessment of our previous relationships, I also never want to be controlled again like that. You really are stronger than you realize. Thank you for your faith in me and your unending trust." I responded to her as honestly as I could. She smiled at me and moved closer to wrap her arms around me. Her warm embrace felt so comforting. I spoke into her strawberry scented hair, "We are going to go out for a quick hunt, do you want one of us to stay with you?" I felt terrible for leaving her alone, but we had not hunted in days and we had to make sure we were safe for Bella. "No. I'll be fine, I'm just going to read a bit and maybe take a nap. It has been one hell of a week and I'm still exhausted." She removed her arms from around me and leaned back up against the headboard. I gave her my warmest smile as I realized I immediately missed her embrace. I got up and headed to the door but stopped when I reached it, I turned back to her.

"Oh, I had one more question for you, are you ok in this room? Edwards' scent is still very strong in here, if you wanted to move to another room it would be no problem." I asked. "No I'm fine in here, we only have a few days left in forks and by staying in his room I am saying my goodbye to him." Good God she never ceases to amaze me, I can not even walk into Alice's room, but she has already come to terms with her loss and had figured out how to say goodbye to him. "Ok, well we should only be gone an hour or two, call any of our phones if you need anything, OK?" I smiled again as I turned my back on her. "No problem, take your time and have a good hunt," she answered as I was leaving.

Only Bella would be so easy going about living with a house of vampires. I walked down the stairs chuckling to myself. She certainly will be fun when she is a vampire. Carlisle, Esme and I darted out the back door for our hunt, none of us wanted to leave Bella for long.

*** Not as long as others, but it is somewhat of a filler chapter to establish trust between J & B *** Next chapter will be longer, probably won't be out until this weekend. It is harder to write, she has to say her goodbyes next!


	8. Chapter 8

*****SM owns the characters*****

**A/N * thanks to everyone that has reviewed and added my story to their favorites and alerts. This is a longer chapter than the others. The move to Alaska and Bella's change is coming next. Enjoy. Review and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 8 – BPOV

After talking with Jasper I felt like a weight had been lifted from me. It was so nice to share with him what I was sorting out in my head. I have to say it shocked me that he agreed so quickly with me regarding Alice and Edward's control over us. And then when I hugged him, I somehow felt complete, I wonder why I felt that way? My mind drifted to our upcoming move. I wonder what the Denali's will think of me, based on what I have been told about them, I may need to watch out for Tanya's reaction to Edwards' death. Edward once told me that she had attempted to capture his attention. This could get interesting.

As I sat there I thought about all the things we need to do before we move. I need to speak with Esme, to find out what she intends on doing with our lost family members possessions. I left Edwards' room and walked through the empty house, it appeared as if no one had entered Alice's room or Rose and Emmett's. I walked downstairs to grab a Coke and wait for everyone to return home. I flipped on the TV as I thought about how quiet the house is without Emmett.

God I miss my big brother, I miss Rose as well, her dark humor certainly shocked me. She and I got closer after she shared her story with me; I gained a new respect for her. No woman should have to suffer the way she did, all she ever wanted was a good husband and a family. At least she got the good husband part; she and Emmett shared a love that was so much more than Edward ever understood. He seemed to believe it was rooted in a physical attraction. Yes they were undeniably physical with one another, but their love ran so deep, they truly were soul mates. They balanced each other so completely, undeniably more than others comprehended. At least they still have their eternity together in the heavens above. Neither of them would have lasted without the other. As these thoughts continued, I drifted back to a conversation I had with them.

*flashback*

Rose, Emmett and I were sitting in the living room while the rest of the family was hunting.

I looked over at the two of them sitting on the couch holding hand and I had to ask, "How have you two keep your love so strong after all of this time?"

Rose responded with a huge smile, "Bella, it's not something we have to work at; I know it appears that our relationship is based on physical needs, but it is so much more. I can look at him and know what he is feeling. I know when he needs me to back off and I know when he needs me to hold him tighter. Neither of us dominate the other, he gives me wings to fly when I need them and I do the same for him. We complete one another and would be broken beyond repair if ever separated." She snuggled into Emmett's chest after finishing her explanation. I frowned a little because I was jealous of the connection they shared.

"Bells, don't worry, you will get to this point also. You have to remember feelings are so much stronger for us, our brains process everything so much faster and at a much deeper level then our human brains could." Emmett added after seeing the look on my face. He placed several loving kisses on Rose's face before returning his focus to the TV.

*End Flashback*

I will definitely miss them, my tears returned after remembering that conversation. I looked up realizing I was no longer by myself in the house. Esme rushed to my side and wrapped her arms around. "Oh Bella, we will make it through this, we are still a strong family and will always support each other. I know you miss him but he is watching over you every minute of every day." I returned her embrace, while correcting her assumption, "Esme, I wasn't crying for Edward, I was recalling a conversation I had with Rose and Emmett and it just made me realize how much I missed them. But I also know they are together and happy in each others arms." I smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as I pulled away from our hug.

"I wanted to talk to about what you are planning on doing with their belongings." I said as I gauged her reaction. "I have tried not to think about to be honest. Do you have any ideas?" she asked in a whisper. I placed my arm around her shoulder as I responded, "I would like to donate Edwards' clothes to one of the local shelters. I would like to take his piano with us; perhaps I can learn to play one day. As far as his CD's and other items, I think we should pack them away but keep everything close enough so it is all there for us to look at and listen to when we need to." "I think it is a great idea to keep the piano for you, and I am sure you will play as well as him one day. We will do with his other belongings as you wish." Esme said while staring at the piano. I was not sure how far to push this conversation, but we needed to make these decisions, so I continued.

"I also have an idea for Rose and Emmett's stuff. I think she would like it if we donated their stuff to the abused women and children's center. She always wanted a child of her own, but obviously that could not happen. A little piece of her will be left here to help others. And I'm sure the kids would love to have all of Emmett's video game systems." I said with a small smile, thinking of Emmett playing a video game.

Jasper responded to me this time, "I think that would be perfect, Bella. They both always wished for a family of their own, but knowing they will continue on through others that have suffered and lost so much is probably the best way to honor them." Esme nodded in agreement. Carlisle added, "Bella, thank you for helping us through this." He walked over to Esme and me and hugged us both before sitting next to Esme.

"Jasper, what do you want to do with Alice's possessions?" Esme asked with concern lacing her voice. This was going to be the hardest part of this conversation and we all new it. "Her clothes can go with Rose's to the women's center; the rest of her stuff can be packed along with Edwards'." He said softly while staring out the window at nothing. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I'm sorry Jasper but we have to do this." "I know, it just makes it feel so final." He responded while wrapping his arms around me gently. I looked into his topaz eyes, and I was certain if he could be crying he would be. "I will help you, if you would like." I offered, not sure if I was crossing a line or not. "Thank you Bella, I would really appreciate that, I'm not sure I can do it alone." I gave him a gentle smile, "You won't be alone ever again as long as I am around." We maintained our embrace just trying to comfort one another for an immeasurable amount of time.

**********

The next several days passed by in a blur, we spent our days packing our belongings and donating Edwards, Alice's, Rose's and Emmett's clothes and games. There were times when one of us would break down during this process, but we all supported one another endlessly. We gave each other space when required and other times we would just sit together in tight embraces. Jasper and I became closer every day; he was truly becoming my dearest friend. I am certain he feels the same way. Our conversations came easily, never feeling forced. Neither of us had to pretend anything with the other. He accepted my faults as much as I accepted his.

There were times when my anger would overtake me and he would help me work through it without using his gift. When he became angry, I found that just my gentle touch would help calm him down. We would truly be lost in a dark abyss without each other. If someone had told me that Jasper and I would come to depend on one another a month ago, I probably would have laughed at them. Now I can not imagine my life without him.

We never talk about the day our loved ones were stolen from us, but I know we both think about it all the time. Although I have faced the truths of my relationship with Edward, he will always be my first love and hold a piece of my heart for eternity. I miss all of them terribly, and I still feel that I am the cause for all the loss this family has suffered. Carlisle, Esme and Jasper continually tell me that the events that occurred were not my doing, but the result of fear and Aro's own insecurities. When I go seek revenge, I vow that Aro will experience fear like he has never before felt.

So here I sit in the living room with Jasper, we will be leaving Forks forever tomorrow. Carlisle and Esme have headed out for a final hunt before we leave, Jasper will go out later tonight. The moving vans will be here later today to load up the house. So now it is time to do what I dread the most. I have to go see Jake today and visit my fathers' grave. The anxiety of having to do this is eating at me, but I know I will deeply regret it if I don't. I look over at Jasper who is again staring out the window lost in his thoughts, "Jasper, would you go with me to see my dad?" I ask. I don't think I can do this alone. "Of course, Bella," he responds with a weak smile. I'm sure he can feel the dread pouring off of me. "Thanks, I don't think I can handle it alone."

We walked out to the garage and I stopped dead mid-step, seeing the silver Volvo brought back a flood of memories. Tears again begin to overflow and Jasper rushes to my side, "What happened sweetheart?" I take a deep breath trying to calm myself before responding, "Seeing his car just made me think of so many things." I sobbed into Jaspers chest. He gently rocks me, helping me to calm down. "Thank you, I would be lost without you here." I tell him honestly. "Bella, I'm not going anywhere, you can lean on me anytime you need support." He said as he released me from his embrace.

"How about we take my bike? You've never been on it and we can create new memories of our own." He asked me in a gentle tone. "Really? I would love that, I haven't been on a bike in months, I miss the feeling." I responded with an excited voice. He smiled brightly at me and we headed over to his silver motorcycle. He helped me get my helmet on and then he climbed on. "Do you think you would let me drive it one day?" I asked as I climbed on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waste. "Sure, you can take it for a spin anytime you would like." He answered before starting it up. I didn't realize how much I missed being on a bike, the vibrations and roar of the motor felt comforting. I smiled as he took off down the driveway.

JPOV

Feeling Bella's emotions change from sadness, grief and dread to pure excitement as we took off down the driveway brought a smile to my face. I was shocked when she asked me to go with her today; I would have thought she would have asked Esme. Needless to say I would do anything for this amazing girl. She has kept me from feeling lonely and sinking into the depths of despair since the loss of Alice and the others. She has given me the best gift anyone could ever give, her faith, trust, love and friendship.

I would have drowned these last few days packing up Alice's stuff if she had not been by my side the entire time. I now truly believe she is an angel that was delivered into our lives to provide us unconditional love. I spend every night with her, watching her sleep and keeping her nightmares away. She still talks in her sleep, mostly she talks about our move, but last night she said something that would have made my heart stop if it was not already still. Her emotions were shifting rapidly and once again hate started pouring from her, then she said in a tone I have never heard her use, 'Aro you will die by my hand, you will feel fear like you have never before experienced.' I didn't mention it to her, because if that is the promise she made to herself that fateful day, I will wait for her to tell me.

We pulled up to the graveyard where her father was and her emotions rapidly shifted again to sadness, regret, love and fear. She climbed off the bike and removed her helmet before turning to me, "I'll only be a few minutes, Okay?" "Of course Bella, I will wait right here for you. If you need me just call for me and I will be by your side," I told her as I resisted the temptation to send her waves of calm. She needed to do this one her own and work through her emotions without my help. She nodded and walked towards Charlie's grave. I watched her as she knelt in front of his grave marker; I could hear her quietly sobbing. Her parting words nearly broke my heart, 'Daddy, I'm sorry I did not tell you more often that I loved you. You were a great dad and I miss you every day. You were taken from me too soon but know that I will spend every day of eternity living the way you would have wanted. I will make you proud of me.' As she spoke her final words a ray of sunshine broke through the cloud cover, illuminating her. At that moment she glowed, her hair reflected a gentle red tone and her skin seemed to shimmer. She looked to the sky and smiled as the clouds swept back over.

She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "He will always be watching over me, he was my hero and I will spend every day of forever trying to make him proud of me," she told me as I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and she placed her head on my shoulder. "Bella, you don't have to try, he was always proud of you. He loved you and you made him so happy when you moved here," I told her. She looked into my eyes, "Thank you Jasper. Thank you for coming with me and thank you for being so kind to me." I responded honestly, "Bella, you don't have to thank me, I would do anything for you." "And I for you," was her simple response.

We headed back to the house, I could feel her exhaustion but she still had one more goodbye left. I hated the fact she had to go alone to see Jacob, but I would be waiting for her when she returned. When we pulled into the garage she climbed off and gave me a quick smile and thanked me again. I returned her smile and nodded. She headed to her truck and turned back to me when she reached the door, "I'll be back soon." I tried to keep my tone level, but I'm sure heard the uncertainty in my voice, "Be careful and call me if you need me to meet you at the line when you're done." "I will Jasper, see you soon."

She climbed into her old truck and started the engine. I have to say I won't miss seeing her drive that truck, even thought I know she loves it. I watched her drive away and I headed to the porch were I would wait for her to return or call me. I will not be at ease until she is back home with us.

BPOV

As I drove towards the reservation I felt a sense of relief. Saying goodbye to Charlie was not as hard as I thought it would be. I know he will be always me watching over and protecting me from the heavens above. As I neared the Jake's house I started to feel the dread creeping back into me. He did not know about the attack and the losses we endured a few days ago and I was not looking forward to retelling the story.

I parked in front of his house and turned off the truck. Jake and I have not spoken in a while; I'm sure how he is going to greet me. As I sat there, the front door opened and Jake walked out with Amanda. They both smiled at me as I got out of my truck. "Hey Bella," Amanda said with a smile, "what brings you here today, is everything OK?" Jake did not say anything he just stood there watching me.

"Hi Amanda, hi Jake. Sorry for just showing up without calling first, I hope I am not bothering you," I answered Amanda, but my eyes never left Jakes'. His features softened as he walked towards me. He picked me up and gave me one of his signature Jake hugs. "What happened Bells, I can see something is wrong in your eyes?" He questioned, he could always read me so easily.

"Well it's a bit of a long story, do you have time?" I asked him. "We always have time for you Bella," Amanda answered me before Jake could. I told them everything that had happened and told them I was here to say goodbye to them. Amanda was in tears as I told my story and Jake's features changed from disgust to anger, then concern.

"Why are you leaving Bella? If Edward is gone why are you staying with the rest of them?" He asked me, although I am certain he already knew the answer. "Jake, I have to go with them, they are my family now. Besides I don't really have a choice, the bastards from Italy will destroy the rest of them if I don't meet their demands." I stated trying to avoid coming right out and saying I would be changed into one of his eternal enemies.

"Bella, please there has to be another way. We can take them down when they come back. There are always other choices." He said pleading with me. Amanda placed her arms around him and responded for me, "Jake, honey, Bella has to do what is right for her. It is not up to you how she lives her life." She turned to me, "Bella, no matter what happens in the future; I will always consider you a friend. Don't worry about Jake; he will come to terms with your decisions."

I walked over to them both and gave them both big hugs, "Thank you Amanda, you really are a great friend and I will miss you dearly. Jake, you will always be my best friend even if you hate me for what will come." I kissed Jake on the cheek and turned to walk away. "Bella, wait, I will make sure the treaty with the Cullen's remains intact. This is your choice and I know you will never harm anyone; you're far to caring a soul to do that. Come back and visit us sometime, ok?" Jake said to me with tears in his eyes. "Thank you Jake, you have given me the best gift you ever could have." I hugged him again as tears streamed down my face. I will miss him so much. I got into my truck and waved my final goodbye to Jake and Amanda. Hopefully I will see them again in the not so distant future.

I drove back to the house feeling so incredibly relieved. Carlisle will be so pleased when I tell him about the treaty and Jakes decision. I pulled up to the home I would be leaving tomorrow and immediately Jasper rushed over to the truck. "Are you ok, Bella? I was so worried about you while you were gone. I wish I could have gone with you," Jasper said in a rush as he pulled me out of my truck and into a strong embrace.

"I'm fine Jasper, everything went better than I could have imagined. I have the closure I need and I have some great news to share with you guys," I told him as I returned his hug.


	9. Chapter 9

**SM Owns the characters - this is just my twist on their lives**

**A/N - Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming!  
**

Chapter 9

BPOV

Jasper and I walked into the house and I called for Carlisle and Esme. I could not wait to tell them what Jake decided. Carlisle would be so very pleased and Esme would be happy that we would be able to return to Forks one day, she loved it here. I'm certain this news would also help relax Jasper a bit. I know he has been concerned the wolves would eventually search for us for breaking the treaty. I finally looked around the house, everything was gone, apparently, the movers had come and gone while I was at the reservation.

We gathered in the now empty dining room. "Bella, you are so excited, what happened that has your emotions skyrocketing like this?" Jasper asked with a hint of impatience leaking into his voice. "As you know I went to tell Jake and Amanda goodbye, I of course had to tell them everything that had occurred. Needless to say, they were shocked. Jake tried to convince me to stay with them, that the pack would protect me." I looked at Jasper while I said this; he had a very sad look on his face, so I continued quickly. "Obviously, I would never even consider that. As you all know I have wanted to become a true part of this family for quite awhile. While he did not agree with my choice, he did tell me that he the pack would allow this one exception to the treaty. The treaty will not be broken after you change me. Further to that he hopes one day to see me again, he will still consider us friends," I said nearly bouncing up and down as I finished. Carlisle looked absolutely thrilled. Esme and Jasper both looked shocked by my news.

"This is great news Bella, we will have to find a way to show our gratitude to Jake and the rest of the pack," Carlisle responded. I thought about that and then I had an idea. "What were you guys planning on doing with all of the extra cars?" I asked. Jasper answered me this time, with a bright smile, he obviously figured out what I was going to suggest, "We were just going to leave them here in garage, what do you have in mind, Bella?" I returned his smile, "Well you know the guys in the pack can't really get work because of their requirement to patrol every night, I thought maybe we could leave the cars with them?" "Bella, that is a great idea," Esme said while coming to my side to wrap me in an embrace. "I agree with you two, the pack could definitely use them," Carlisle said with a large smile. So we decided I would call Jake tomorrow and tell him the vehicles were here if he and his pack brothers would like them. I'm sure they will love them!

I glanced around again and had to ask," Did the movers take everything?" Jasper responded a bit hesitantly, "We figured we could leave to tonight. If that's ok with you." Might as well, I thought to myself, "That's fine with me." I responded, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Esme suggested that we ride together, while she rides with Carlisle. Only if you are comfortable with that of course. After you get to Alaska we will get you a new truck." Jasper added the last bit quickly. "Jasper, I have no problem riding with you, you already know I trust you with my life. As far as a new truck, well I really don't think I will need a car for a while." I responded to Jasper, before adding, "Besides if I need to go anywhere I will take your bike." I told him with a big grin.

"Bella, you can use my bike any time you want. Perhaps we should get you your own after your change." Jasper told me returning my smile. "Okay, let's get going you two," Carlisle said, effectively ending the conversation of motorcycles. I'm certain he felt the same way Edward did regarding me on a bike. I mentally laughed at that thought. Carlisle certainly takes his fathering role seriously.

We all headed out to the garage, ready to start our lives over. I gave the Volvo one final glance and walked over to Jasper where he already had the car door open for me. We pulled out and left our home in Forks, none of us knowing if or when we would return.

*********

We had been driving for about three hours now; at least Jasper drove slower that Edward and Alice, but still too fast for my liking. We had spoken very little up to this point; it was a comfortable silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Jasper broke the silence, "Bella, I don't get it, you have no problem going fast on my motorcycle, but in a car you want to drive the speed limit." I could hear the amusement in his voice, "I can't really explain it, I think part of it is that I feel like I have more control when I'm on a bike. It feels like an extension of me and a car doesn't." I wasn't sure how else to explain it to him. "Well I can appreciate that, I guess it makes sense. Your responses never cease to amaze me."

"Well we already know my mind doesn't work right," I responded trying to keep our light discussion going. He laughed at that and we continued our banter for a while before our discussion turned serious. "Can I ask you something Bella?" His tone reflected that his question would be one that would be difficult. "Jasper you can ask me anything." I responded.

"The day the Volturi came I told you we heard everything, that was not really the truth. We only heard up to the point where Aro instructed that you had to be changed within two months. After that every sense was cut off. I was wondering if you could tell me what happened after that?" The look on Jaspers face showed his concern and although I did not want to relive that day, I knew I owed it to him. I also realized that without sharing this our relationship would never be one of full trust.

"I will tell you everything that I remember," I told him as the tears were already beginning to form in my eyes. He tried to send me a wave of calm, but it did not work. I drifted back to that day and retold the events;

_I dropped to my knees and begged, "Just kill me, I am the one that started all of this, just kill me and let them live. They are not evil and do not seek power, they just wish to live in peace within the boundaries placed on their existence." I looked into his eyes and knew it was too late. _

"_Bella, Bella, Bella, you are so selfless. You really need to start thinking of yourself." He said somewhat offhand, and then he started speaking more to himself than me, "Which others should perish today? I believe that I must allow Carlisle to live; he was in fact a friend at one point in time. And his mate, it just seems unnecessarily cruel to destroy her. That leaves me three to pick from, I believe the beautiful blond and her mate will perish with Alice and Edward. That way you and Alice's mate can keep each other company." I remember what is it with vampires and needing to be so dramatic. _

_I continued to stare at Aro as he shared his decisions with his "guard." I did not notice the small female vampire approaching me until she was about two feet from me. "Bella, you do not want to watch this, go in the house, the others will join you shortly. Do not suffer more than you need to, listen to me," I looked up at her and realized it was Jane, the wench that tried to knock me to the ground when we were in Italy. I wondered why would she try to protect me now? "I can't leave them, just kill me, Edward is my life, just kill me," I responded, nearly begging her to end my life. "I'm sorry Bella, I can't, but you will not watch this," then she slapped me so hard that my face hit the grass and I slowly succumbed to the darkness._

_Even in the darkness I could hear the worst sounds in the world. I opened my eyes when all was quite only to witness the pieces of our family members being tossed into a large fire. The grief and shock overtook me, and I finally blacked out. _

"When I came back around I heard you and Carlisle discussing the fact that you could not feel any emotions coming from me, and well the rest you were there for." I finished my retelling of the events of that day quietly sobbing. I hadn't even noticed that Jasper had stopped the car. He got out and pulled me from seat and wrapped his cold arms around me. "Bella, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. You endured far worse than any of us that day. Those images will stay with you forever, I wish I could take them away." I don't know how long we stood on the side of the highway hugging each other but I knew it was what I needed.

JPOV

I can't believe she had to see and hear all of that. No wonder she had so much hate flowing from her the other day. As she calmed down, I realized she was blocking me from sending her calming waves. I still don't understand how she can do that, no one has ever been able to block my gift. Perhaps her mental block is stronger than we realized, perhaps its' not just a mental block.

"Bella, I'm going to call Carlisle and let him know we are stopping for the night. You need to get a good night of rest," I told her, as I looked into her eyes I could see how much she has aged in the past few days. Of course she still looks 18, but in her eyes I can see the changes. "Thank you Jasper, a warm bath and soft bed would feel great right now." She said softly, warm tears still flowing from her eyes. We let go of each other and I got her settled back into the car. I called Carlisle and told him my plans and that we would see them at the house tomorrow night. Of course he agreed.

I looked over at Bella as I got back into the car. She was still crying, I felt terrible for asking her to share with me what we did not hear. "Bella, I should never have asked you about the other day. Please don't be angry with me," I had no idea what she was feeling but I certainly couldn't stand for her to be mad at me. "I'm not angry with you, it was just hard thinking about everything again," She said and gave me an attempt at a smile. We drove to the nearest exit, in complete silence, to find a hotel for the night. I kept glancing at her as I drove but her eyes never strayed from staring out her window.

I pulled into the parking lot at the hotel and jumped out so I could get her bag from the trunk. By the time I made it to her side she was already out waiting for me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and we walked into the lobby. At some point over this past week, physical contact between she and I has become natural. I paid for the hotel room and we headed down the hallway to our room.

I opened the door for her and she immediately went and laid down on the bed. I wasn't sure what to do. I stood there for a few minutes before finally deciding I would go sit next to her on the bed. "Bella, please talk to me, tell me what you are thinking," I nearly begged her. I couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"Jasper, I'm just lost in my thoughts and extremely tired. I promise tomorrow we will talk more, okay?" She responded without looking at me. "Okay Bella get some sleep." God I hope I have not damaged the friendship we have developed. I began thinking about the day she had as I noticed her drift off to sleep.

I never should have brought up that fateful day, especially knowing everything she had already dealt with today. Damn I am an idiot! It was only about an hour after she fell asleep I could see her starting to have a nightmare. She was somehow still blocking me, but I had to do something to help her. I began to slowly run my fingers through her hair, gently massaging her scalp as I went. After several minutes of repeating my actions she began to relax and her nightmare appeared to stop. Once she fully relaxed, I could feel her emotions swirl around me again. I spent all night running my fingers through her long soft hair. At some point I realized how much I missed being this close to someone. Alice and I would spend nights laying together like this. As I had that thought Bella spoke and shifted her body closer to me, 'Thank you Jasper, I would be lost without you.' Her unconscious statement made me smile, maybe she would let me spend every night with her like this. I probably should not have thoughts like that, but really I can't stop myself. I fell closer to her than I have ever felt in my long existence.

As she began to stir in the morning I removed my hand from her hair. She turned over and looked at me, "Morning Jasper." I smiled at her, "Good morning, Bella. Are you feeling better now?" She returned my smile, "Yes, much, thank you for staying with me." I couldn't stop the words before they were out, "I will always be with you, sweetheart." She blushed and looked away.

"Well I'm going to go take a quick shower, then we can get back out on the road," she said, obviously wanting to change the subject. "Alright, I will go get you some breakfast while you shower ." I headed out of the room wondering why I had just told her that.

****

We were back on the road now, our conversation was once again easy and effortless. She called Jacob about mid day to tell him about the cars that were left for him and his pack. Of course at first he refused, but she convinced him to take them. Their conversation ended with both of them laughing. She was so relaxed today, I only wish she could spend everyday feeling this way.

As we pulled up to our house in Alaska I could immediately feel the strong emotions radiating from the house; fear, uncertainty, relief, hope and love. I tensed. What would have caused fear and uncertainty?

***

BPOV

I noticed immediately that Jasper had tensed when we pulled up to the house, "What's wrong Jasper?" I asked with fear evident in my voice. "I'm not sure, but something has Carlisle and Esme upset." He responded as we both climbed from the car.

I didn't even look around, I just walked to the front door and opened it with Jasper right behind me. Carlisle and Esme were standing in the living room waiting for us, Esme had something in her hand. "What happened?" Jasper asked, not even trying to hide the fear in his voice. Esme responded, "There were two letters in the mailbox when we got here this morning. One is addressed to Bella and the other to you." She handed us our letters and I immediately recognized the handwriting. Alice. I sank to the floor. I don't think I can handle this right now. Jasper appeared to be frozen in place. He finally looked down at me before speaking, "I'm going to go outside to read this, please excuse me." With that he was gone.

I hesitantly opened the envelope and removed the letter. Esme and Carlisle quietly left the room as well. I unfolded the letter slowly:

_Bella,_

_I'm sure you did not expect to hear from me again, but as I indicated in my last letter to you, I have much to tell you. For starters, thank you so much for taking care of Jasper. He really would be lost without you right now. I know you miss us terribly but please remember we are always beside you. Do not blame yourself. This would have happened without you in our lives. _

_We are all so lucky we found you, you brought us something we didn't even know we were missing. True unconditional love._

_I saw a vision of you years before we met. I knew you would bring our family to a new level. You are what was missing from our lives. I have had many visions of your future and they all lead to the same place. You will need to be strong, not only for yourself but for everyone around you._

_Your strength is already starting to come through. Embrace it, you will need it. Don't base your destiny on hate, base it on what's right for our world. Many will come to rely on you, let them. Have faith in yourself little sister, you are so extraordinary. _

_This is just a small warning to you, allow yourself to love again. (I know you will try to deny it, don't, you deserve it.) It is so close to you now. You will not succeed without your love beside you. You two need each other, one without the other will surely fail. Allow it to blossom to its' full potential, together you two will be magnificent. Your powers will feed off each other, don't try to fight it, embrace it. Once you figure it out, it will be beautiful, I assure you. _

_Just so you know, I shared all of my visions with Edward right before we were destroyed. He knows everything you will become. He is so happy for you and he really does understand that he was not destined to be with you, another is._

_This will be my last note to you, but remember we are with you always. Take care of yourself and take care of Jasper for me. I love you as a sister and as a best friend. Give my love to Carlisle and Esme. Cry no more tears for us Bella, set yourself free._

_Love you always,_

_Alice_

I finished reading the letter and held it to my heart. No tears came, although I waited for them. I don't know how long I sat like that but eventually Esme came and carried me to my room. She did not ask what was written and I don't think I will share this one. She kissed my cheek and left the room without a word. As I drifted off into a dreamless sleep my thought went to Jasper, I wonder what she told him?

*****Jasper's letter is next along with Bella's change*****


	10. Chapter 10

***SM owns the characters***

A/N - Thank you for the reviews, please keep them coming. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

JPOV

I ran from the house with Alice's letter in my hand. I felt terrible for leaving Bella, but I needed to be alone to read this. I ran from the house, finally stopping about two mile from the house. I sat down on a broken tree and looked at the envelope in my hand, it was only then that I noticed my hands were shaking. Painfully slow I opened the envelope and was immediately overwhelmed by Alice's scent. I removed the letter and unfolded it:

_My Dearest Jasper, My Love,_

_I'm so very sorry. Words can not express the sorrow I feel as I write this letter. You were my everything, my first vision, my first and only love. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful years with me. You have been so angry, thinking that I did not leave parting words specifically for, believe me when I tell you it was better for everyone that Bella receive the first letter and shared it with you. _

_I know that along with my visions, I controlled our lives, but one day you will thank me for setting you on this path. You have a brilliant life ahead of you; please trust me on this fact. You will create a bond in the very near future that will change you in ways that you did not even know possible. Hell, I didn't even know it was possible before my visions. Believe in yourself, you are stronger than I ever gave you credit for. You have experienced the very worst of what we can be but you have found another way. You are stronger because of your past; you will need that strength in the future._

_You were my everything, always remember that. When you finally decide to share your love again, give it fully, do not hold back. You never fully opened yourself up to me; I thought it was because of your past. The real reason is because you were keeping your deepest memories and feelings for someone else. The love you will share will be unmatched by any other love ever shared in history. Because of that love and the bond you will share, your gifts will magnify. Embrace it; the end result will be amazing. _

_I know my words are cryptic and frustrating to you, but everything that you will gain is because I have not told you the details. _

_Take good care of Bella, she will need you. She will be so different from other newborns you have dealt with. The pureness of her love will allow her to see our world differently, she already does, allow her to show it to you through her eyes. A small warning for you, don't make her too angry, she will be unstoppable when enraged._

_As I told Bella, the time has come to set yourself free. The events that occurred would have happened without us going to Italy; the fault does not lie with any of us. Take care of yourself, Jasper._

_Love always,_

_Alice_

I reread her letter over and over. I could no longer suppress the pain that was inside of me, as it escaped I could hear all of the small creatures around me fall over. As the pain continued to flow from me, I heard the worst sound in the world.

Bella's scream. On no, what's happened? I raced back to the house faster than I have ever traveled before. I barged through the front door and raced up the stairs. When I made it to Bella's room Carlisle and Esme where there with Bella. She had tears streaming down her face and was releasing small whimpers. Carlisle immediately looked at me when I entered the room, "What was that? Were you projecting? We all felt it, and it has affected Bella worse then us. Neither of us can calm her down." I couldn't believe my pain projected all the way to the house, what have I done, "I'm so sorry. I could not hold it in any longer. I never would have thought it would reach this far, I was miles away." Carlisle looked shocked and simply nodded in response to my statement. I walked over to Bella and gently lifted her from the bed and cradled her in my arms. I started sending wave, after wave of calm to her while I gently rocked her. "Call us if you need us," Carlisle said as he led Esme from the room.

"Bella, I'm sorry sweetheart. I never meant for you to feel that." I spoke softly to her. I repeated over and over how sorry I was. For several hours we stayed this way, she had once again blocked herself from me. I felt helpless as the tears continued to flow from her. "Bella, please say something to me, don't shut me out," I begged her.

"How can you feel like that and not hate me? I caused that terrible pain." She spoke softly, her voice breaking up. "You did not cause that pain; I just held it in too long. Alice's letter allowed me to release it. And I could never hate you; I would be lost without you." She broke free from my embrace and crawled back into her bed, pulling the covers over herself as she laid down. She rolled over to face me.

"Jasper, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm glad I felt what you were feeling. I feel closer to you now." I couldn't believe she was actually happy that she felt that, I could see the honesty in her eyes as she spoke the words. "I will let you as close as you want, sweetheart. You need to rest now," I told her as I began to run my fingers through her hair again to help relax her. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

As I sat with her I found myself relaxing also. It astonished me how being near Bella helped me to calm down. However, I do wish she would stop blocking her emotions from me, it feels as if a piece of me is missing without them.

I don't think I will ever stop being shocked by her reactions. Alice was right, she is already so unique, I can't imagine what she will be like after her change. As I had that thought Alice's words ran through my head again, what did she mean by a bond, what could create that kind of bond? Why would I ever make Bella angry? And the question I want answered the most, who is it that I am going to share this unbelievable love with?

Bella sleep comfortably for several hours. When she awoke she gave me a gentle smile, "Morning. How are you feeling?" She asked me gently, concern evident in her voice. "I'm much better now, I really am sorry about last night," I answered her with a small smile and continued. "Somehow I feel as if letting all of that flow out of me, finally allowed me to come to terms with the loss. I feel like I am ready to start living again." I told her, I would be honest with her no matter what. Even if that meant opening myself up to her.

"Jasper, I am here, anytime you want to talk or just need a hug. Please don't close yourself off from me, you have been the one that has helped me through this, let me do the same for you." Bella replied as she slid closer to me. She wrapped her warm arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest. I did not hesitate to return her embrace. "Bella, I will always let you in. You have been my only grasp on reality since that fateful day. I would have been lost without you. You have no idea how much you have already helped me." I kissed the top of her head. She did not reply but I immediately felt her emotions swirl around me. Love and trust, they were the only two I felt from her at the moment. It will never stop amazing me the amount of trust she affords me.

Finally after several minutes of comfortable silence, "Bella, go get yourself ready for the day. You haven't even had a chance to see the house and the sights around us." She nodded as she released me, "Yeah, you're right." She stood up, but stopped after taking a couple of steps and without turning back to me she asked, "Jasper, will you tell me what was in Alice's letter?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to, somehow it felt like it was mine and mine alone, "Maybe one day Bella, but not today." I could not guarantee her anything regarding that. "Fair enough, maybe one day I will share mine with you as well." She continued on to the bathroom.

After Bella showered and dressed for the day we headed out of her room. Esme had worked wonders yet again; the house was nearly completely decorated when we made our way downstairs. Our new home was much like the one in Forks, a very open floor plan with a glass wall that covered the back of the house. The view out the back was spectacular. We could see the mountain range in the distance, while the back yard was like a meadow of wild flowers with a small pond in the middle.

Bella gasped as she took in the beauty before her. "Wow, it is gorgeous here," she stated simply. "There are not many placed that hold the natural beauty of nature like here," I told as we continued to gaze at the landscape. Esme brought us out of our own thoughts when she announced that breakfast was ready. I led Bella to the kitchen where she warmly excepted her plate of food. "Esme thank you so much," she said with true gratitude. Esme gave her best motherly smile, "Bella, no need to thank me, I enjoy cooking for you." The women shared another smile as Bella sat down at the island to eat.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring our new home. I showed her all of the bedrooms, they all looked pretty much the same at this point. We had not had time to add our own touches to our rooms. Bella's favorite room, as well as mine, was the study, the walls were lined with books from all eras. I had a feeling I would find her in here often.

As we settled into the soft leather chairs of the study, she asked me to share with her more about me. I told her things that I never divulged to anyone, times I recalled of my childhood. What I remembered of my parents and my brothers and sisters. What it was like joining the war. More details of my time with Maria. How it felt when I met Alice and details of the years we spent together. Bella learned more about me in one day than anyone ever knew.

I felt closer to her than I have ever felt to anyone. Somehow by opening myself up to Bella, I felt liberated from my horrific past. She passed no judgment on me; her emotions throughout the day remained fairly consistent. Love, which was always present, trust, faith, shock at times, humor sometimes, but the strongest was the constant love.

It seemed as if I could not tire of talking with her. She never wavered in her interest as I told her about me. Finally I realized how late it was, Esme had brought food to Bella a couple of times today. I couldn't believe we had spent the entire day talking about me. I could feel her exhaustion starting to over power her.

"Come on Bella, let's get you to bed. Tomorrow is another day and it will be your turn to tell me about you," I told her as we headed out of the study. She smiled at me as we made our way to her bedroom, "Jasper, will you stay with me tonight? I sleep much better when you are with me." There was really no need for her to ask or try to explain, I had already intended on staying with her.

"Of course, I will stay with you every night if you let me." After I said it, I realized my statement held a meaning that could be misinterpreted. Of course Bella blushed crimson at my words, but opted to counter them with humor, "You know Jasper, when you find your true love; she might not take to kindly to you spending your nights with me." She let out a chuckle and walked into her bathroom, closing the door behind herself.

If I could have blushed I would have been scarlet. Damn, why do I keep saying things like that? I was so relieved she responded the way she had, although I did have to admit she had a point. She came out of the bathroom wearing her fleece pajama bottoms and tank top; once again I noticed how radiant she was. She crawled into bed and patted the spot next to her, wordlessly instructing me to take my place.

"Goodnight Jasper, thank you for telling me about yourself today." She said as she slowly drifted off to sleep. I was running my fingers through her hair again as she spoke again, "You have become the most important person in my life." I'm not sure she was even awake, but I responded, "And you for me, sweetheart." She smiled softly as sleep fully overtook her.

Bella slept peacefully, and a huge part of me was thrilled that I was the reason. I couldn't wait to find out everything about the woman sleeping peacefully beside me. She truly had become the reason for me living.

The next day we settled into the study again, taking the same seats we were in the day before. She told me about her childhood, growing up in Phoenix. Always having to be the adult for Renee. Spending summers in forks before she insisted that her and Charlie spend time together in California. Why she opted to move to Forks to begin with and how she only wanted her mother to be happy. How she dreaded the first day of school and what she felt when she saw our family for the first time. What it was like for her when we all left. Her fears as she raced through Italy to save Edward. Her relief when we all re-entered her life.

She also admitted that she often felt suffocated in her relationship with my brother, but loved him endlessly regardless. She let me feel how much she missed her father because she could not find words to express it. It was overpowering. She left out no details as she spoke about how she felt rejected time and again when Edward would push her away. She longed for that intimacy and I could only reassure her that she would have it one day.

Again the hours slipped away and it was time for her to sleep. We followed the same pattern as the night before. She drifted into her slumber after a simple goodnight to me. As I laid there beside her again running my fingers through her hair, I tried to understand Edward. How did he continually push her away, I know he was afraid of hurting her, but they would have been fine. I did not disagree with him regarding the truest act of intimacy; that it should be shared only between two people in love. But they were in love, she loved him with everything she had and he did the same. He was foolish.

All night I thought about this and always ended up at the same conclusion, he was too emotionally immature to provide Bella what she needed. Bella has the oldest soul of any being I have ever met; she is mature beyond her years. Whomever gains the love of this women on a level beyond friendship, will be the most fortunate man in the world.

As the new day began, I dreaded what was to come. We would be leaving Bella for the day to go hunting. As much as I did not want to leave her alone, we knew being new to the area we had to stick together for our next few hunts. Bella awoke and gave me a breathtaking smile. "Good morning," she nearly sang. "Morning, did you sleep well?" I asked returning her smile. "You know as well as I do. But yes I feel wonderful today, that was the best night of sleep I have had in a long time." She answered as she climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

She came out dressed and appeared ready to start her day. "Bella, we need to go hunting today. We won't be gone too long, hopefully only a couple of hours. Will you be ok?" I asked her anxiety evident in my voice. "Jasper, I am a big girl. I will be fine; you guys have a good hunt." She said as she headed out of the room, towards the kitchen.

I followed her and as she sat down at the island to enjoy her breakfast Esme kissed her cheek and told her we would be back soon. Carlisle gave her a gentle hug and followed Esme out the back door. "Call me on my cell if you need anything, we will be back as soon as possible." I told her as I kissed to top of her head. "See you soon, have fun" she said with a smile. I chuckled as I ran out the back door.

We had been hunting for two hours now and I was becoming anxious. Carlisle and Esme were about a half mile from me finishing off their deer when I felt it. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. I raced over to Carlisle, "Something has happened, we need to go home now." Panic flashed through his eyes as he asked, "How do you know?" I didn't have time for this, "I can't explain it, I can just feel it. Something has happened to Bella." As the words left my mouth I started running home, Carlisle and Esme were right behind me.

We reached the house in about twenty minutes, as soon as we were inside I knew she was not here. I could not hear her heartbeat, where was she? Esme had gone to the kitchen and she called out, "She left a note."

_Jasper,_

_I hope you were serious when you told me I could use your motorcycle whenever I wanted. It was too quiet in the house so I took it for a spin. See you soon._

_Bella_

"I'm going to find her," I told Carlisle and Esme. "We will wait here in case she comes back before you, keep your phone on," Carlisle said. I could feel their concern flowing from them. I darted out the front door and headed through the forest along the road following her scent. I had gone about thirty miles when the scent hit me, blood, not just any blood, Bella's blood. I immediately called Carlisle, "Carlisle, something happened, I am following the scent of her blood." "Don't hang up Jasper, I am heading out the door now," he stated, worry leaking through his voice. I came upon a scene that will forever be etched in my memory.

Bella's broken body laying on the side of the road. The motorcycle was about twenty feet from her laying beside a moose. Obviously she hit it. I raced to her side, dropping the phone in the process, her blood not even effecting me, "Bella, can you hear me, please don't leave me." I sobbed. I could hear her heartbeat but it was weak, she had not lost that much blood. I grabbed the phone, "Carlisle, she is injured bad, her heartbeat is very weak." "You have to do it Jasper; I won't make it to her in time." I was shocked, could I do this? 'I'll call you when I am done," I hung up the phone. "Bella, I'm sorry, I'm going to try to save you," I told her as I leaned closer to her. I barely heard her whisper, "I'm sorry and I trust you."

Those two words were all it took; I kissed her warm neck before I bit down. As soon as her blood hit my mouth, I felt it. All the self doubt, hatred, fear, everything I ever felt was gone. It was replaced with pure love, Bella's pure love. I bit into her wrists, her elbows and the other side of her neck. Each pull of her blood somehow, bound me to her. This must be the bond Alice spoke of. When I finished, I looked at the woman in my arms, I knew in that instant I would never be able to leave her side.

I picked her up and started running back to house; Carlisle met me half way and looked at Bella. "You did well my son, I always new you were stronger than you thought," He said with a smile. I simply nodded, "Will she be okay?" I asked the desperation in my voice was undeniable. "Yes she will be fine, her heart is strong." We made it back to the house and I ran to Bella's room, gently laying her on the bed. She looked so peaceful, where were the screams? I could not feel anything from her again.


	11. Chapter 11

***SM Owns the characters***

**Thank you for all the reviews - Hope you enjoy this chapter - please leave reviews!**

Chapter 11

JPOV

I had been laying beside Bella for over six hours and still could feel nothing from her. How was she blocking me? Was she going to be okay? What the hell happened when I bit her? It felt like I had a million questions racing through my mind at the same time.

Carlisle and Esme had left to clean up the accident scene right after we returned with Bella. I heard them return and enter the bedroom. "Jasper, you need to go change and let me change Bella. You are both covered in blood and dirt." Esme spoke quietly from the door. I glanced at Esme and then whispered in Bella's ear, "I'll be right back, sweetheart." I swiftly left her room and darted to mine. Carlisle followed me and spoke while I was changing, "Jasper, my son, I am so proud of you." I left my closet and sat down on the couch in my room, "Carlisle, something happened when I bit into her." His emotions swiftly changed from pride to concern. "What do you mean?" I met his eyes and could see the concern in them, "When her blood hit my mouth, I felt something, something I have never felt before. It's like all of my self doubt and any other bad feeling I had for myself was erased. All I felt was the purest of love. I have never felt that from anyone. It felt like some bound was instantly created between us." Carlisle smiled at me, "Sometimes when we change another we are lucky enough to feel what they feel. My guess would be that because Bella is such a pure being and gives her love freely and fully that she shared that with you."

I was not sure how to respond, so he continued, "As far as the bound, yes you two will share it forever. I can not fully explain it, but once again it is sometimes created during a change. I felt it when I changed Edward and Esme; perhaps that is why I have always been closest to them." I think I understood his explanation, "Thank you Carlisle. At least now I understand a little better." We sat together in silence for a few minutes before he broke the silence, "I think you need to get back to her now." I nodded my head and raced from the room.

I walked silently back into Bella's room, I noticed Esme had changed her into some cotton lounge pants and a dark blue tank top. She looked so at peace, you never would have thought there was a fire racing through her veins. I returned to spoke next to her on the bed and began running my fingers through her hair like I had done for so many nights. I was suddenly assaulted with an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude. I looked down at Bella and she had a soft smile across her face. I did not understand this, how could she project just those to emotions to me and hide the pain I know she had to be feeling.

I did not move from my position nor did I ever stop sending her waves of love, peace and calm. Esme and Carlisle periodically stepped into the room to check on us but never stayed long. Somehow Bella's transformation became something to be shared only between the two of us. Hours passed and Bella never showed any sign of being uncomfortable and the only emotions she let me feel were her love and gratitude. I never really focused on time before, but I wished so much that I could speed it up for her now.

Twenty six hours had passed and I listened to Bella's heart slow, it was too soon for this to be over. I Screamed for Carlisle and Esme, "What's happening to her? Her heart is about to stop," I nearly cried to him. "Remember Alice said her transition would be faster than any we have seen, but I have never seen anything like this." He spoke honestly but tried to express hope as well. I sat at the end of the bed solely focused on her heart, when the final beat sounded the sun broke through the clouds outside. Rays shout through her bedroom and shone across my face creating a prism of colors.

I did not know she had opened her eyes but I heard her voice, "You look like a mix between Apollo and Ares, you are beautiful." I was stunned, her voice sounded like the sweetest symphony my ears had ever heard. On top of it she just compared me to two of the Greek Gods. Ares, the God of War and Apollo, the God of light and truth. She said I was beautiful! Never in my century and half of life had anyone given me such a flattering remark. The sun returned to its place behind the clouds. I turned my head to look at her but she had closed her eyes again. "Thank you Bella," I responded with genuine gratitude.

What she did next shocked me more than anything in my life had. I briefly saw her eyes open, and then she lunged at me. In the portion of a second that it took her to reach me, fear coursed through me. What had I done, why is she attacking me? But then her lips were pressed against mine. Her hands were intertwined in my hair. I couldn't even respond, my body simply shut down. It was like a bolt of lightning shot straight to my core. She reacted faster than I could; she was gone from my side and crouched in the corner. Her arms were wrapped around her legs as she rocked back and forth.

"I'm sorry Jasper, I don't know what came over me. I will leave, I never should have done that. God I'm so sorry." She was now sobbing. I quickly went to her side, sat down next to her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. "It's okay Bella, don't worry about it. By no means are you leaving. Please calm down sweetheart," I repeated over and over to her. What I really thought was, please don't be sorry for that. Finally she calmed down but refused to make eye contact with any of us. Carlisle broke the tense atmosphere, "Well if all newborns woke up and reacted that way there would be more vampires in the world," he chuckled softly, then continued, "Jasper you should take her hunting, she must be uncomfortable."

She did not argue with him, she simply stood up beside me and headed out the door. I followed her wordlessly, hoping she would talk to me after we left the house. As soon as she reached the back door, she took off. It took all of my strength to keep up with her. She abruptly stopped after we ran about thirty miles and sat down. I darted past her but quickly returned to her side and sat in front of her. "Bella, please say something to me," I pleaded.

"Jasper, I am truly sorry for earlier, please don't hate me." She said softly while staring at the ground. Once again, hearing her melodic voice, made me think of a symphony, but even that paled in comparison. "Bella really it is fine, please don't apologize for it, and I could never hate you." After I spoke I gently placed my finger under her chin and lifted her face so I could look at her. It dawned on me at that moment I really had not looked at her since she awoke. My breathe caught in my throat as our eyes met.

Her eyes were not red, they were her beautiful chocolate brown but now they had flecks of gold running through them. I had never seen anything more lovely. She shifted her gaze from me and I could very clearly see embarrassment in her eyes. She may be able to cut my gift off from her emotions, but her eyes spoke volumes. "Bella, you are breathtaking. But your eyes are not red, they retained your natural color along with gold in them. It simply took me by surprise." I told her with compassion lacing my voice. She returned her eyes to mine and smiled. If I thought her smiles were amazing when she was human, they were nothing compared to now.

The beauty that radiated from her in her human state was amplified now. There were no words to describe the woman before me. As I really looked at her I noticed several things, her skin seemed to softly glow, not in a way that would prevent her from being near humans, they would probably just look at her in udder awe. Perhaps they would compare it to a pregnant human woman. To vampires though, she was beyond stunning. As I drank in the beauty that she had become I was rendered speechless. Her hair was much longer, with streaks of red and gentle waves running through it. Her lips were fuller, her cheek bones more defined. As my eyes swept over her I could come up with no words to fully describe her.

I couldn't stop my next words, "I have never seen a creature as exquisite as you." I swear if I could blush I would be scarlet right now. She gave me a small smile and gently bit her bottom lip before replying, "Thank you, you are rather striking yourself." I was somewhat surprised that she retained that habit from her human days. I laughed softly before changing the subject, "Are you ready to try hunting?" She slowly stood up, "Ready as I will ever be."

We ran about another mile when I smelt a herd of deer about a half mile from us, "Bella, open up your senses, what do you smell?"

"Deer, about fifteen of them, two are pregnant, five bucks, two are very sick," she answered. I was frozen in place, "Bella, how do you know all that?" She gave me a strange look, "I can feel it. Why is there something wrong with that?" I responded quickly, but knowing I would need to discuss this with Carlisle, "No, absolutely not. Now what are your instincts telling you?"

"Jasper, can you trust me for a minute?" I looked at her questioningly, "Of course." She smiled another gorgeous smile, "Follow behind me quietly, okay?" I nodded and began to follow her. We entered the small clearing that held the herd, she held up her hand to stop me. Which I did and she slowly sauntered right up to the largest buck. She reached out and touched the creature on the side of it face. The buck leaned in to her hand before turning around and walking away from her. The heard had departed the clearing but two remained. She called out to me.

"Jasper, come here please." I quietly walked to her side. "What just happened?" I whispered to her. "The two deer remaining are the sick ones. They will not make it through the winter, so the leader of the heard offered them to us." As she spoke I realized how amazing the events of the last sixty seconds were. I had no words presently so I simply nodded.

I watched as she walked to the smaller of the two deer and placed her hands on its face, she softly spoke to the creature, "I'm sorry I have to do this." As she caressed the neck of the deer I could feel its' emotions. It was completely at peace, no fear. She snapped its' neck and sank her teeth into its neck. The scene that just transpired in front of me was simply the most magnificently shocking thing I had witnessed.

She repeated the process with the second deer but this time as she caressed the fur of the creature she called me over, "This one is for you." She again snapped the creature's neck effortlessly. As I drank from the deer, Bella shifted to the edge of the clearing and waited for me.

I darted over to her when I was finished and I could not help myself, "That was unbelievable. Bella, how did you do that?" I asked with true wonder. "I don't know, you told me to follow my instincts and that's what they told me to do." She finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

We walked back into the forest and sat next to a small stream. We sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I was replaying what just transpired, it was the most sensual experience of my life. The creatures should have been terrified of her but they weren't, they seemed to find comfort with her. It was beautiful to watch and experience.

As we sat there I thought about her kiss, if ever she grants me another kiss I will not be foolish enough to not respond again. I had to stop this train of thought so I broke the silence, "You are truly the most amazing vampire I have ever seen." If she could have blushed she would have. "I just did what felt natural, I can't justify killing the healthy, strong ones. Somehow they new that and the sick ones offered themselves to us." Even her words are magical.

"I have never seen anything like that before, they should have run from you, instead they found you comforting it. It was astonishing to watch." I told her honestly. She smiled sheepishly at me, so I elaborated, "Bella, it was the most sensual thing I have ever seen in my existence. It was shocking but utterly awe-inspiring." She wrapped her arms around me in a strong embrace. It was then that I noticed she still felt warm to me, not humanly warm, but certainly warmer then me. I returned her hug and thought about all the things I needed to discuss with Carlisle.

"Are you still thirsty, most newborns are crazy with thirst. You are so calm." I asked her as I realized she had very little to drink compared to what most newborns require. As I thought about it, she is nothing like any newborn I have ever dealt with. "No, I wasn't really thirsty before, but I do feel calmer now." She answered as she snuggled into my side.

"You seemed calm as soon as you woke up, although I do question the way you see things, don't my scars bother you?" I asked as I thought back to her telling me I was beautiful. She chuckled before responding, "Jasper, I saw your scars as a human, I know how you got them, they are a part of you. Your past is what makes you who you are now. Don't ever be ashamed of them. I do believe you are beautiful and I stand by my reference to Ares and Apollo when describing you." She finished with a very serious tone. I tightened my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You certainly see things differently than others," I responded, but even I could hear the sadness in my voice.

She released me from her embrace and turned to face me, I could see a fire in her eyes, "Don't you dare question my view of you. You are incredible. You saved my life without hesitation. You, not Carlisle, you. Your venom is coursing through me." She grabbed my face to force me to look into her eyes. "I will let you feel the truth of my words, but you better brace yourself." I wasn't sure what she meant but as soon as she opened herself up to me I fell over and curled into a fetal position. I recall thinking that her emotions as a vampire would knock me an my ass. Thank God I was already sitting, so I didn't have far to fall.

The force of her emotions were overpowering, I could feel her frustration, annoyance, affection, wonder and love swirling around and through me. The strength of them all left me immobilized. She blocked herself again and I sat up. She took my hand in hers as she spoke, "I warned you to brace yourself." I stared at her for a moment before I could speak, "Bella, how are you keeping them from me?" I had to find out.

She looked into my eyes as she spoke, "I knew you felt everything I did, so after Aro's visit I worked on controlling them. At some point I figured out how to keep them from you. That knowledge carried over after my change, except now it is much easier." She returned to staring over the stream before continuing, "It kind if feels like there is a thin layer of something over my brain and heart, I'm not sure how to explain it but I figured out that I could pull it back if I wanted during my change. I could hear you talking to Carlisle and I could hear the fear in your voice, that's why I let you feel my love and gratitude. I'm sorry I opened up so much, I don't ever want to hurt you." She finished her explanation.

"Bella, I want to feel what you feel. When I can't feel you, I am missing a part of myself. I know that sounds very strange but that is the truth." I wasn't sure how she would take my words but I got my answer rapidly. Again her emotions were swirling around me, I felt whole again. "There's nothing strange about it, I feel our bond as well it must have something to do with you changing me. I also am missing a piece of myself when you are not around." I could feel her embarrassment, so I figured it best to end this topic of conversation.

"We should probably get back to the house, I know Carlisle and Esme are very eager to get to know the more durable Bella," I said with a smile. She laughed, a true laugh. It was one of the most glorious sounds that had ever reached my ears. We stood up and raced back to our home.


	12. Chapter 12

**I Own Nothing ** SM owns the lovely characters!**

****AN** Thank you all for your reviews! Please keep them coming! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 12 - JPOV

As we made our way back to the house I couldn't help but to be entranced by the beautiful woman beside me. When I first looked at her I was rendered speechless and totally immobilized. I am fairly certain all vampires would react this way to her. I wonder if that is part of her gift. I will have to watch how Carlisle and Esme react to her. Her grace was astonishing, as a human Bella had a hard time staying upright, but as a vampire she was the most graceful thing I had ever seen. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't immediately notice we had arrived home.

Esme and Carlisle were waiting outside for us. As I watched Bella run up to them I realized they were seeing her fully for the first time and as I predicted they were also rendered speechless. It would have been frightening if I did not know Bella, but right now it almost seemed comical. Carlisle was never speechless. I let out a small laugh as I walked up to them.

"What just happened?" Esme asked. I decided I might as well share my theory, "The same thing happened to me when I first really looked at her, I think it is part of her gift. Come on lets go inside there is much to discuss." I grabbed Bella's hand and headed into the house with Carlisle and Esme following. We all sat in the living room and I explained to them what occurred when we went hunting. They both were shocked but Carlisle shook it off quickly and turned to face Bella, "Bella can I ask you some questions?"

"Of course Carlisle," Bella responded with a smile. Good God she was stunning when she smiled. Why am I thinking about her like this, I should not be attracted to her, she is supposed to be my sister. I don't think I ever thought of her as a sister. There is no denying that she is the most exquisite site my eyes have ever seen, but it is so much more. She is so much wiser then her years should allow, she is intelligent, caring and so full of love. Okay I have to stop these thoughts before they go any further, if I allow them to continue I am certain it will not end well for me.

"Bella, to start with I would like to know how you felt during your transformation. You were very quiet and it went very quickly. I would also like to know everything else you feel, you obviously have a gift, possibly more than one. You are so very calm, I have never seen a newborn like you. Also, if you have any questions please ask away," Carlisle broke my thought process as he spoke to Bella. I had to agree, I had never had experience with a newborn like Bella, but I never had experience with a human like Bella either.

"Lets see, during my change I felt the burn, but it was not as bad as I remember when James bit me. I could hear everything around me the whole time and when I heard the fear in Jaspers voice that he could not feel my emotions, I opened up part of myself to him. Somehow I just knew how to allow only certain feelings to reach him. I did not want him to hurt because of me." She was speaking to Carlisle but gripped my hand a bit harder as she spoke. I then felt her gratitude and love again, but it was far weaker than in the forest. I was once again wondering how she could control herself like this as she continued to speak.

"Also as I was changing I realized I could feel everything your guys were feeling, but not only could I feel the emotion I knew the source of the emotion. I can still do it. Let's see, Esme is currently feeling shock, awe, love, embarrassment, lust and sorrow. She is shocked because of me and the awe is also directed at me," Bella looked down embarrassed as she spoke, I was at a loss for words, again. She truly is amazing, then she continued, "The love is for all of us, the embarrassment is because she knows I am reading her, the lust is for you Carlisle," Bella let out a small laugh and I am certain if Carlisle could have blushed he would have, "And the sorrow, well that is because she is missing Edward, Alice, Rose and Emmett." Bella finished in a very sad and small voice.

I wrapped my arms around her as she laid her head against my chest. It dawned on me that I would have to reign in my own emotions now. Crap I wonder if she felt my longing for her before. Hopefully not. Esme walked over to us and embraced us both in a motherly hug, "Yes Bella I do miss them and I do feel sorrow because they are not here to share this. However, I am also so very glad you and Jasper are with us." Both women were dry sobbing at this point and I once again lost all emotions coming from Bella, but immediately I noticed I could not feel Esme either.

"Bella, what are you doing, I can't feel Esme now either," I said in a tone a little harsher than I meant. As soon as I asked the question I was once again overwhelmed with the emotions coming from them. I fell back and was thankful that we were on the couch so I didn't drop to the floor. Damn how was she doing that? Carlisle stared at us with wonder. Bella once again pulled in the emotions so they were not so overwhelming.

"Sorry Jasper, your tone caught me off guard and I got a bit upset. I will try not to do that to you again." Bella reached out and claimed my hand again as Esme returned to her seat next to Carlisle. "I'm so sorry Bella, I'm just not used to being blocked out like that." I told her sincerely. She gave me a small smile before returning her gaze to Carlisle. "Well Bella, you obviously can shield others as well. You are definitely one powerful vampire," he said as he looked into her eyes, I could feel his thoughts shifting. "I still am not sure how to explain you eyes, don't get me wrong, they are very striking, but I have never seen a vampire that did not have red or gold eyes. Very interesting indeed." Carlisle concluded.

I then remembered she felt warm to me, "Carlisle, she seems warmer to me than any vampire has before, not like a human warm but definitely warmer." I told him with a bit of concern. "Well, I'm not sure about that either," He walked over to Bella and placed his hands over hers, "Yes, she indeed does seem to be several degrees warmer than us. I can't explain it, I will have to do some research on it." He concluded as he returned to his seat.

I decided to ask Carlisle about our hunt to break the silence that had fallen over the room, "Carlisle, what do think happened during our hunt?" He looked at me and then back to Bella and back to me, "Well I think it has something to do with her gifts, but more than that I think it the fact that she never would intentionally hurt another living creature." He shifted his gaze to Bella, "As a human you always wanted to please everyone and ensure their happiness. You never put yourself first. Also based on my discussions with Jasper it would seem as if the one constant within you has always been love. These characteristics have carried over and I think all creatures can feel it." He finished his explanation with a smile.

I could see the shock on Bella's face as Carlisle's words sunk in. I couldn't agree more, she really was a selfless being. Everyone else always came first to her. "Wow," was all she responded. I figured I would try to lighten the mood a bit, "Bella, is there anything else you would like to discuss now or would you prefer to relax some? It has already been one heck of a day for you." I was hopeful that she would want to relax some. I know Carlisle and Esme needed to hunt.

"Actually I would like to take a shower and relax," she said with what I thought was a slight bit of sadness in her voice. Although I could not be certain because again she was blocking most of her emotions from me. I again could only feel love and gratitude coming from her. She really was going to have to learn to trust me fully. Carlisle again broke my train of thought, "Ok Bella, we are going to go hunt, but first I am going to try to get the Denali clan to come over tomorrow. I think Eleazar may be able to help us figure out your powers. Jasper can tell you about them while we are gone."

With that he and Esme darted out the back door. I turned my attention back to Bella, "Bella, would you like to shower and then discuss the Denali's or hear about them first?" I asked unsure how she would react to the history of our extended family. She gave me a small smile, "I think I will shower first." Her answer again retained a bit of sadness. "Bella, sweetheart, are you okay? I can hear something in your voice, please talk to me," I asked her gently.

She shifted closer to me and again laid her head on my chest before she spoke, "Everything is so new, I thought I would have Edward with me as I started this life. Based on everything I have heard I am different, I was different as a human and even as a vampire I am different. I'm scared and I feel very lonely but at the same time I feel guilty. I am so happy you are here with me and it feels like I am somehow tainting his memory."

And then she stopped. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace, "Bella, yes you are different but that is not a bad thing. We are amazed by you. You are glorious. As far as Edward and even Alice they would want us to be happy, please don't feel guilty, there is nothing to feel guilty for. You have experienced so much in the past several weeks and so many others would have given up but you are still here, stronger than ever. I don't know anyone that has not been scared after there change." I couldn't feel anything from her again but I did not bring it up, she already had enough on her mind. "I'm sorry you are lonely, but as long as you let me I will be with you." I told her sincerely, wishing she would let me closer. No, no, no I had to stop those thoughts.

She shifted out of my embrace and looked into my eyes, once again I was shocked by the beauty in front of me, "Thank you Jasper, that means so much to me, you don't even know how much." Her emotions swirled around me again, I felt whole. She pulled me to her and gave me a hug, all too soon she let me go and kissed my cheek. Once again it felt like lightning shot through me. She stood up and headed to the stairs. "We'll talk about the Denali's after I clean up, okay?" She asked with a smile on her face. "Absolutely, take your time," I told her. I needed to clean up as well and try to sort through some of my feelings.

**AN ** Denali meeting coming * Next chapter back to BPOV, this will allow for a better understanding of her gifts. Yes she has several.**

**Jasper is denial of his feelings for her.. They will get together soon!**

**Please review… It makes me want to update sooner! Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

*****SM Owns the characters, I am just twisting them to do my will ******

**AN – Once again thank you all for the reviews. This is my longest chapter yet, I hope you enjoy. As always please review!**

Chapter 13

BPOV

I darted upstairs after telling Jasper I wanted to shower before we discussed the Denali coven. What I really need is some time to myself. I would be lying to myself if I said I was not concerned about meeting them, but they were not what held my concern at the moment. I headed to my bathroom as it dawned on me that I had not even seen the "new" my yet. How ironic, I was always concerned before how I would turn out after being changed but now I really didn't care.

As I flipped on the lights in my bathroom I came to a dead stop. I was looking at myself for the first time, I couldn't believe what I saw. My hair had grown several inches and now held a permanent wave along with red highlights running through it. My face was now much more angular, all of my human blemishes were gone. My eyes, well they were shocking to stare in to, I had expected red eyes even after Jasper had told me they were not. My body, well I had curves in all the right places and I was certain I had grown several inches from my original height of five four. While I could appreciate the fact that yes I was now beautiful, I was still felt like plain old Bella. I guess some insecurities carry over from human life.

As I stood there staring at myself, my now overly active brain was thinking about all the things that had occurred in the past several days. Jasper had changed me after I was stupid enough to take his bike out for a joy ride and tangle with a moose. Obviously that was a battle I could not win as a human. Yes the change, I felt a bond to Jasper now that I could not explain. As soon as his venom hit me I could feel all of the pain he had ever endured. All I wanted to do was take it all away from him. He is the kindest soul I have ever met and no one like that should have to hold on to that amount of pain and suffering. I just hope I somehow did relieve him of some of it, it certainly felt like I did.

That brings me to my next thought, my gifts, I can feel them running through me at all times. I could feel them as soon as my change started, it almost like they were just waiting for the venom to be released. As I was changing voices were coursing through my mind trying to explain everything I would be able to do. I did not understand everything but I did catch some of it. I can not explain them to anyone yet but I have demonstrated some of what I can do. I can feel every emotion around me, even the emotions of the animals in the forest. That in itself is a bit overwhelming, but I can also tell the source of the emotion. It is quite strange.

As I climb into the shower I think about what else I already know I can do. I can block out other gifts and I already know I can protect others from gifts. At least with that one I feel like I am finally able to contribute to the family I love so much. I was always the one being protected, it will be nice to return the favor. There is more I can do but I have to wait to discover what else there is. My mind drifts back to the events of the day and the emotions that were coming from Jasper.

He had several times today longed for me. I'm not sure if it was simply lust and loneliness or if it was more. Part of me hopes that it more but I can not expect him to feel anything for me apart from family love. I mean he just lost Alice and I just lost Edward, these thoughts should not even be in my head. I had told him how scared and lonely I felt and he was so sincere when he told me that he would stay with me along as I let him.

My mind shifted again, how long could I let him stay with me? I know what my destiny holds and there is no way I will put him in that kind of danger. I need him with me now so he can train me and help me to discover the extent of my gifts. I don't think I could continue if he was destroyed because of my destiny. Jasper has become the single most important part of my life. Oh no, I better reign in those thoughts before they go any further.

A light tap on the door brings back to reality. "Bella, you have been in there for a long time, is everything okay?" I hear Jasper ask through the door. "I'll be out in a minute, I just got lost in my thoughts, I will meet you in the study" I holler out to him. I hear him chuckle and walk out of my room. Yes I definitely need to focus on me right now and not think any more inappropriate thoughts about Jasper. I have a destiny to fulfill and nothing will stop me. I can feel the fierce determination radiate through my body and smile as I climb out of the shower.

I dress quickly in a pair of jeans and tight t-shirt, realizing that I will need to speak with Esme about getting me some new bras. My current ones are way too small now. It feels a bit awkward not wearing one, but it's not like I am trying to impress anyone. I throw my wet hair into a ponytail figuring it will dry on its own and head to the study. I can feel my concern building again as I think about the new group of vampires I will be meeting tomorrow.

As I walk into the study I see Jasper sitting in his regular chair reading one of his many civil war books. I head over to my chair and wait for him to finish the page he is reading. As I wait, I take in the man in front of me. He is simply beautiful, his features are much manlier than Edwards ever were. He jaw line is perfect and I could stare at his red lips all day. His blond hair falls gently to his eyes just begging to be brushed back. There aren't even words to describe the perfection that is his body. Oh crap, there my mind goes again. I didn't even realize he was staring at me as I was ogling over him. If I was still human I would have been crimson red. I smile softly at him as I meet his eyes.

JPOV

I figured I would read a little while I wait for Bella. I can't believe how empty I feel when she is not by my side. It is somewhat frightening but also enticing. I feel her emotions as she sits in her chair, I figure I might as well finish the page I'm reading. As I finish up I am hit with a strong feeling of desire and admiration. I look up from my book and stare dumbfounded again at the gorgeous woman in front of me. It certainly does not escape my attention that her eyes are roaming freely over me. But I am so lost in devouring her with my eyes that I can not watch and feel her reactions for a moment.

She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and an even tighter t-shirt, as I shift my eyes from her long legs up her body I realize she is not wearing a bra. I'm certain she can feel the desire rolling off of me as well. She is breathtaking, her body is beyond phenomenal. My body is reacting and if I don't stop these thoughts I will only embarrass myself more. My eyes shift to her face and I notice her eyes are still swiping over my body. Her eyes meet mine and she smiles softly.

"See anything you like?" I ask her in a playful tone, trying to distract myself from the amount of desire lingering in the room. She looks down before answering me in the softest voice I have ever heard, "You can't possibly blame me if I like to stare at you, you are quite pleasant to look at." I know if she could blush she would be. Hell if I could blush still I would be redder then her. She seems to like what she sees when she looks at me, which is rather shocking.

She should find me hideous, I am covered with scars and war wounds. "Bella, don't be ashamed. You are beyond breathtaking and I could stare at you all day long and not tire." I figured she was honest with me, I might as well be honest as well. "Although, I still don't understand how you can see me that way." I continue while waiting for her to return her eyes to mine. When she does I can see the fire in them. Oh crap, I mad her angry again.

"Jasper, I told you before, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL." She shouts at me before continuing in a much softer tone. "Maybe one day you will believe me or I will be able to show you, but right now I think we are supposed to be discussing the Denali visit." She changed the subject, while my mind was still reeling. What did she mean show me? I decided not to push the issue but responded to her, "Yes, there are some things you should know about them before you meet them tomorrow. What did Edward tell you about them?" I figured I should hear what she knows and then fill in the blanks.

"I don't know much, I know that Tanya once had a thing for Edward but he never reciprocated. Of course I know about Laurant and Irina but other than that I don't know too much. Edward only ever said they were like extended family to guys." She answered with a bit of apprehension in her voice. Well I have lots of blanks to fill in.

"Yes Tanya did at one point display an interest in Edward, and you are correct he never returned her advances." She displayed no reaction other than interest, so I continued, "You know as much as I do about Irina and Laurant. So that leaves me to tell you about Eleazar, Carmen and Kate." I continued to gaze into her eyes as I spoke knowing the next bit of information was definitely going to cause a reaction. She nodded her head indicating I should continue.

"Eleazar spent many years with the Volturi," She jumped up from her chair and started pacing before she responded, "What? How can you allow him here?" She nearly shouted at me. I Stood up and grabbed her arms and forced her to look at me, "Calm down Bella, it was many years ago, he is a gentle soul. He never agreed with how they hunted and he left as soon as he met Carmen. I would not allow him to get near you if I did not trust him fully. He has a gift that could be very helpful to you." She calmed down but I could still feel anxiety flowing from her, as well as curiosity. "What is his gift?" She asked softly.

"He can feel the gifts of others. He will be able to explain what you can do if you let him in." I had to make sure she understood she had the power here, not him. She gave me a timid smile and headed back to her chair, "Well I guess I will not pass any judgment on him before I meet him. What about Carmen and Kate?" She asked calmly. I took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well Kate has a gift much like Jane's, except hers requires physical contact and Carmen does not have a gift that I know of." I finished quickly hoping our conversation could return to more lighthearted topics. "Thank you for telling me about them, I have one question though. What do you thing Tanya's and Irina's reactions will be to me?"

I really had not given much thought to how they would react to her, but now that she brought it up I can understand her concern. "I'm not sure, hopefully they will realize everything that occurred really was not your doing. But no matter I will make sure to keep them calm." I told her sincerely. Now that I thought about it more I really would have to monitor their reactions closely. There was no way in hell they were going to try to hurt Bella. She gave me another of her smiles that would stop my heart if it was still beating.

"Thanks Jasper," she stood up and walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck giving me a hug. I pulled her down to sit on my lap and returned her embrace. My thoughts again drifted as I realized how comfortable I felt with Bella in my arms. I could feel her love and contentment flowing from her to me. I pulled back from her a little so I could look into her eyes. "Bella, there is no need to thank me." I leaned in a gently kissed her cheek before pulling her back into a tight embrace.

We sat like that for an immeasurable amount of time, both of us just sharing are love and contentment with one another. I again felt whole and never wanted to loss this feeling. I felt her emotions shift to excitement right before she sat up and released me from her arms. She looked straight into my eyes, I could see the excitement swirl in them, "When I was going through my change, I could hear whispers explaining my gifts to me." I cocked an eyebrow at her bit she continued, "I know it sound crazy, but I want to try something, okay?" She asked as her excitement level increased.

Although I was somewhat hesitant I figured she would never do anything to harm me, so I nodded my head. She smiled and grabbed my face with both of her hands, "Close your eyes Jasper, you can trust me." I instantly closed my eyes, knowing without a doubt there was no one on this planet I could trust more than her. As my eyes closed she continued in a soft and almost seductive voice, "I want to show you what I see when I look at you, because you seem to think I am crazy every time I tell you what I see." She softly caressed my cheeks and whispered, "Relax."

As soon as I relaxed I saw images of myself but not the me I saw when I looked in the mirror. I saw a man that looked confident, trusting, caring and loving. I could see my scars, but instead of being the predominant feature I was used to seeing, they seemed to only accent my features. I did not recognize the man she showed me. As the images stopped I kept my eyes closed and was again swimming in her love and affection. I opened my eyes and gazed into the amazing woman before me.

"Do you understand now," she asked so softly I almost didn't hear her. I could barely speak as I asked, "How did you do that? Is that really how you see me?" She chuckled softly before answering, "I don't know how I did it but I was just thinking about things and I knew I could. And yes that is what I see every time I look at you." She looked down embarrassed again as she answered. I wrapped my arms back around her and whispered in her ear. "You really are incredible. And thank you for sharing that with me." She returned my embrace but did not respond.

We stayed in companionable silence until we heard Carlisle and Esme return. We headed downstairs to greet them. Esme gave Bella a hug as Carlisle spoke, "Well the Denali's will be her in about four hours, much faster than I originally thought but they are excited to see us again. Just so you both know, I did not tell them what happened. I'm certain they will be shocked and saddened, but I thought it best to tell them in person." Bella and I nodded.

**** 4 hours later

We sat with Carlisle and Esme discussing light hearted subjects as we awaited the arrival of our extended family. I could feel a slight bit of fear coming from Bella, but it was mostly covered by love and curiosity. As I focused on her emotions there was a knock at the door. Carlisle stood to greet and bring in our company. I could hear everyone saying hello to each other and sharing brief hugs. Then I heard Carlisle tell them we had some sad news to share with them.

As they entered the living room I could sense their confusion as they looked around and saw only me and Esme that they recognized. I stood to greet them, "Tanya, Kate, Irina, Eleazar, Carmen hello I would like to introduce you to Bella." Bella stood and turned to face them. I could hear each of them take an unnecessary breath as they were also rendered momentarily speechless when they saw her. I really would have to think about that some more.

Tanya recovered the fastest, "Bella it is nice to meet you, but where is Edward, aren't you his mate?" She asked with skepticism leaking into her tone. Carlisle decided now was the time to break the news to them before any further questions started. As he told them what occurred I could feel the hostility begin to roll off of Tanya and Irina. I'm certain Bella could feel it as well. As I glanced at her I could see her tense.

Irina spoke this time, "Well Bella, first your wolf friends destroy my mate and now you brought the wrath of the Volturi down upon our family. Please tell me why we should not destroy you now?" I growled in response to her harsh tone. Bella reached over and placed her hand on my shoulder and sent me a strong wave of calm. Wow, I have never experienced feeling forced emotions before. It is quite confusing.

As she calmed me I watched Irina and Tanya fall to the floor as Bella spoke to them, "I understand why you feel the way you do, but please allow me to show you the events that occurred. Remember I was human for both of these events so the images are a bit fuzzy." Irina and Tanya gasped at the same time as whatever Bella was showing them shot through their minds. Everyone else in the room was silent watching the scene in front of them unfold.

Eleazar looked utterly shocked and confused and his emotions matched. About sixty seconds later the two women that were on the floor were standing again staring at Bella. Their emotions were calm for the most part, still slightly angry but mostly they were both in awe of the woman standing next to me. Bella broke the silence that had fallen around the room, "Does that answer you question Irina?"

Irina looked at Bella and slowly approached her. When she reached her she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, "I'm so sorry Bella, we should not have jumped to conclusions, please forgive me and allow us to properly welcome you into our family as well." Bella returned the hug and responded, "Irina, I am sorry as well. I wish there had been a different outcome to both events but the past is behind us and we can't change it." Tanya walked over and joined in the hug, followed by Esme and Carmen. Eleazar, Carlisle and I shared a smile with each other waiting for the women to finish their group hug.

Finally everyone settled into the living room and spent time catching up. After several hours of light conversation Eleazar turned to Bella, "how are you blocking me from yourself and from Jasper?" I was shocked she was shielding me as well as herself. She smiled her breathtaking smile and responded, "I'm not sure exactly how I do it, but I wanted to make sure no harm was going to come to us so I wrapped it around him as well as myself."

Eleazar laughed, "You are very protective of your family, but I can't get any kind of read on you. I can feel that you are very talented, you have many gifts but I can't tell you exactly what they are other than I know for sure you are a shield. Aro would find you a very valuable asset to his team." As soon as the words were out of his mouth Bella was growling and she actually looked feral. I sent her wave after wave of calm without any of it reaching her.

She spat her answer back to him, "Aro will never get close to me again, and that bastard will never have the opportunity to harm me or my family again." She darted out the back door as soon as the words left her mouth. I shoot him a death glare before I took off after her. There was no way I would allow her to be alone now. I found her sitting at the small stream we had sat at after we hunted, she was rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around her knees.

I was about ten feet from her but then I was stopped, I could get no closer to her. I called out the fear evident in my voice, "Bella, sweetheart, let me get close to you. I won't hurt you. Bella, Darlin', please let me in." I dropped to me knees waiting for her to turn her eyes to me.

It was at this moment I knew I loved the woman in front of me and would walk through the fires of hell for her. "Darlin, drop your shield for me, I love you, let me help you." I called to her, trying desperately to make her feel my emotions and all the love I had for her. As she turned her head to look at me I could feel her shield drop as I was hit with all of her love, her fear and her anger.

Her emotions literally knocked me backwards but I never let my eyes break from her gaze. I slowly, painstakingly slowly crawled to her. I wrapped my arms around her and gazed into her eyes, "I love you. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone and even that does not fully describe how I feel for you. There are no words to describe the feelings that course through me. You make me whole, and I feel empty when we are apart. My eternity does not exist without you." I couldn't believe I was telling her all this, her eyes never left mine. I took a deep breath awaiting her response. "Bella please say something?" I begged her.

She didn't respond for what felt like an eternity, but her gaze never left mine. I could only feel love and trust radiating off of her. I could see so many other emotions flow through her eyes as the words I spoke sank in. I'm certain if tears could flow from her eyes she would be weeping. I was about to release her from my hold but she finally shifted slightly in my arms and kissed me.

She kissed me softly at first then whispered against my lips, "I love you too Jasper." I deepened our kiss as her words registered in my mind. There was no way to describe the kiss we shared. Lightening shoot around the sky and thunder crashed through the heavens above. It took me several minutes of kissing the glorious woman in my arms to realize she was creating the weather effects around us. I broke the kiss and looked deep into her eyes. The lightning and thunder immediately stopped.

"What else can you do?" I asked her slightly out of breath. She smiled at me as she answered, "I'm not really sure." She reached for me again and placed her soft, full lips atop mine. Her hands wound through my hair as one of my hands snaked around her back and the other up into her hair pulling her closer to me. The cloud cover broke above us and we were bathed in moonlight. As our kiss deepened and our tongues fought for dominance I realized I could have stayed right were we were for forever. We were complete.

*****AN - Sorry I couldn't keep them apart any longer. They so desperately needed to kiss. The sexual tension between the two was out of control *smiles* . I will update again soon ---- PLEASE REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

*****SM Owns the characters*****

**A/N – Thank you everyone that has reviewed and added my story to your favorites. Your reviews mean a lot. I'm trying to update quickly because I know I prefer frequent updates on my favorite stories! Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

JPOV

We stayed in each others arms for several minutes, neither of us speaking just soaking up the others emotions. I felt so much love from her it was nearly overwhelming. Finally she broke the silence that had enveloped us, "Jasper, I'm sorry I reacted like that to Eleazar, his words just made me so angry. For him to even suggest I would allow Aro near me again was too much for me to handle." I could feel the anger begin to rise in her again as she recalled what he said to her, "Bella, darlin', you are new to this life. You have every right to get angry. I am sure he did not mean to offend you or suggest that you would go to Aro. He was simply stating a fact, Aro would love to have you by his side." I spoke gently while rubbing her back in comforting circles.

"I guess we should go back to the house. I think I owe him an apology." She started to stand up but I pulled her back to me, ensuring our eyes met. "Darlin, you have nothing to apologize for, he should have known his words would spark a reaction from you. Eleazar is very old and has much experience with newborns. Try to listen to what he has to say when we return to the house, he can help you understand your gifts probably better than almost anyone I know." She pressed her lips to me softly and pulled away from me again.

"I will listen to him. What do you mean almost?" I chuckled before answering her, "You are still as perceptive as ever. I only know one other that could guide you, my long time friend Peter. He and his mate live the traditional vampire lifestyle, but he has a way about him. I cant really describe it." I had to smile as I thought about Peter and Charlotte. "Maybe you could take me to meet them sometime." Bella responded to me with a smile, I'm sure she could feel the affection I had for my long time friend.

"Perhaps after we have spent some time with Eleazar we will go and visit them. They will be returning to their residence in Montana in the next few months." I watched her face intently while gauging her reaction. "I would love to meet them." She said with a grin. I pulled her gently back to me and gave her a chaste kiss before standing. She wrapped her arms around my waste and laid her head upon my chest, "Jasper, I don't think we should tell Carlisle and Esme about our feelings for one another yet. They might not take it very well." I could hear and feel the sadness from her.

"Bella, they would never look upon our feelings badly. But we will wait until you feel comfortable." I told her while returning her embrace. She lifted her face to met my gaze, I could feel her fear building although I had no idea what was causing it, "It's not that I want to hide it, but I'm scared." I was confused, "What are you scared of Darlin?" She stepped back and broke our gaze before answering, "I'm scared of losing you, scared of the feelings I have for you, scared that I'm not enough for you. I could go on and on but mostly I am scared that we are falling for each other only because of what we lost."

I stood there absolutely speechless, how could she say that, how could she possibly have those doubts? I could feel my anger and frustration rising as I answered her, "I have told you time and time again that I will be with you forever. You are so much more than I deserve, you are perfect for Gods sake." By this point my voice was raising, but I foolishly continued, "Maybe you are only feeling for me because you miss Edward and are looking for a substitute, but I was never looking to replace Alice. Everything I feel for you is a thousand times stronger than anything I ever felt for her." By the end of my rant I was yelling at her. I could see the fire ignite in her eyes again.

All of her emotions were cut off again and I could feel myself being forced back from her. Again the clouds returned to the skies above us and lightning streaked across the sky and a loud crack of thunder erupted above. "How dare you! I shared everything I felt about my relationship with Edward with you. I shared my doubts, my fears, everything! I trusted you! I was never looking for a substitute for Edward!" She spat out before collapsing to the ground. Then she whispered, "You are so much more than he ever was, my feelings are so much stronger for you. You mean more to me than anyone ever has. I'm sorry." She was dry sobbing by the time she stopped speaking.

I felt like such a fool and again I could not get to her. I wasn't sure if she would let me back in, my own fears intensified, "I am so sorry Bella. Please forgive me. Please let me back in. I was foolish, I never should have said that. I can feel the love you have for me, my God you showed me how you see me. Please." I dropped to my knees and buried my face in my hands. The storm intensified around us, as the rain and sleet started to fall I looked up. Bella had not moved she was still sobbing. The storm continued to rage for what felt like hours. I never moved from my position after placing my hands over my face again. All I could think was I had lost her already, I just found her. I felt no hope.

Finally, as I was allowing the hopelessness to overtake me, I felt a small hand on my shoulder. The storm had stopped at some point, I didn't even notice. Then my angel spoke to me, "Jasper, stop. Come back to me baby." She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me as close as she could. She placed gentle kisses along my neck before whispering in my ear, "I love you, you will never lose me." Lightning shock through me as her sweet breath caressed my face. I turned to her and spoke the truest words to ever pass my lips, "You are my life Bella, I love you with everything I am and will be." She placed her hands on face and reopened her emotions to me. I was again overtaken by the strength of them, but this time I embraced them.

Somehow the strength of her emotions made me stronger, they no longer overpowered me. Instead they allowed me to feel everything around me more intensely. It was an amazing feeling. I gazed into her eyes I'm sure showing my shock at what she just did. "Jasper, we will strengthen each other. Please don't be upset with me. I just made your gift more powerful. You can now feel everything the way I do, we will have to work together to learn to control it." All I could do was stare at the goddess before me.

As the words she spoke ran through my head, I opened myself up. I could finally feel everything she was feeling, love, wonder, slight fear, desire, hope, more love. As my gift expanded to the forest around me I could feel everything that the creatures around us were feeling to. I was beginning to understand what occurred during our hunt but I was really beginning to feel overwhelmed, but before that occurred she again placed her lips upon mine. Everything else was forgotten and I was lost in our kiss again. I pulled back just slightly from her and whispered against her lips, "I love you." She smiled, "As I love you."

We again got lost in each others kisses. I was certain if there was a heaven, it was right here where we were. We finally broke apart, it was almost painful when our lips lost contact with each other. She locked me in her gaze, "Jasper we need to get back to the house before they become concerned. I want you to know I'm really sure how I was able to strengthen your gift, but when I felt you feeling so lost and hopeless, somehow I just knew what to do. I hope you are not angry with me."

I smiled lovingly at her, "Darlin, I'm far from angry at you. I am again amazed by you and your abilities. Thank you for sharing them with me." She returned my smile while pulling me to my feet. I looked her up and down and realized that the storm she manufactured had soaked her and she certainly did not need to walk back into the house in her current state. I couldn't help the laugh that erupted from me.

"Bella, we will have to sneak into the house and change before we face them again. Your attire is a bit revealing at the moment." She glanced down at herself and I am certain if she could have blushed she would have been scarlet. My eyes drank her in, the rain water had thoroughly soaked her and with as tight as her top already was it left very little to the imagination. Her body was beyond fabulous and I am certain she could feel the desire rolling off of me. "Oh my," she said with a chuckle before sending out a wave of desire back to me. I took off my shirt and handed it to her. Her desire escalated as she stared at my now bare chest.

"Bella we better go," I added in my mind, before I can't stop myself from taking us beyond kissing. I had to remind myself that she is still very innocent and if or better when we take our relationship to that level it will have to be perfect for her. I still can't believe she feels the same way about me that I do for her. I'm not sure what I did to deserve her love, but I will do everything in power to ensure her unending happiness. Her beautiful voice again brought me from my thoughts, "Lets go Jasper." We took off towards the house.

When we reached the house I picked her up bridle style and jumped up to the balcony of my room. She giggled as I set her back on her feet, "Go get changed, I'll meet you in the hall when you are ready." She took off my shirt and handed it to me, again my desire skyrocketed, "See you in a few minutes." She said before placing a soft kiss on my lips. It took all of my willpower to not pull her to me and deepen the kiss. I smiled at her as she left my room.

A few minutes later we met in the hall, "you look lovely as always." I complimented her before taking her hand. "Thanks," she gave me a bright smile. As we headed downstairs I could hear everyone talking, it sounded like the ladies were planning a shopping trip and Carlisle and Eleazar were discussing the actions of the Volturi. I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs and turned Bella to me. I whispered in her ear, "Whenever you are ready to let them know about us just let me, ok?" She nodded her head and I kissed her cheek before we walked into the living room.

All conversations stopped as they all turned to look at us, Eleazar was the first to speak, "Bella please forgive me for what I said earlier. I should have thought about how you would react before I spoke. I am so very sorry." Bella released my hand and walked over to him. She crouched in front of him and placed both of her small hands over his, "There is nothing to forgive, I simply overreacted. My outburst was uncalled for." She gave him a small smile and stood back up, returning to my side. We sat down on the couch, and joined our hands again.

The entire room remained quiet awaiting his response, "You are truly a selfless being, that would explain many of the gifts that have been bestowed upon you. When your anger flared earlier I was able to get a feeling of some of the gifts you process. Most of them are driven by your emotions, while others simply help to protect you." You could have heard a pin drop while we all digested the information just shared with us. Bella's emotions were calm while revealing just a small amount of shock.

She finally broke the silence, "Why do I have so many gifts? Of all the vampires I have met, the ones with gifts seem to have one, not many." Eleazar smiled gently at her, "Many years ago I met a woman that could see into the future. Her gift was different from Alice's, what she saw was the destiny of those around us. She once told me about a young woman that would change our world. She told me that this woman would have many gifts but she would only succeed if she allowed herself to love."

He continued after making sure we were all following his story, "This seer told of a time that our world would be filled with love, we would co-exist with humans and all other immortal creatures. She said there would be hardship along the way for this young woman but in the end the pureness and selflessness of the girl would strengthen her. Bella, I believe you are the young woman the seer was speaking of all those years ago. Our world has become one of darkness and cruelty. I believe you will change that."

Bella gasped and shifted closer to me, "Why would you think that? It can't be me. It's not possible." She spoke so softly had we not been vampires we would not have heard her. I could feel her apprehension, shock, denial and love flowing from her. I decided I would interject at this point, "Bella you have been a vampire for only a couple of days and I have already witnessed several of your gifts. I think you should consider believing Eleazar." She locked her eyes with mine and I could feel the trust and love radiating from her. She gave me a small smile before returning her eyes to Eleazar.

"I am certain there is more to this story, but right now I need to try to let this bit of information settle. From what facts Alice left for me it would seem my destiny has already been determined." That was one thing I still needed her to share with me, what promise had she made that day that would determine her destiny? Carlisle seemed to agree with her, and broke the somber mood, "Well, everything does not have to be discussed today. Why don't we call it a night and meet again tomorrow?" He asked, but it really wasn't a question. Everyone agreed and planned on meeting again tomorrow. The Denali's headed out after hugging us all goodbye.

Carlisle and Esme wanted to go hunting with Bella and experience what I had. Of course Bella was more than happy to go with them. She tried to get me to come but I wanted to spend some time collecting my thoughts. After they left I headed to the study to relax and go over the events of the day. I still couldn't believe Bella felt about me the way I felt about her. My mind drifted to our first kiss, the passion that ignited between us was astounding.

As my mind wandered I thought of Alice's letters and her telling of a true soul mate for me. As I sat there thinking about it, there was no doubt in my mind that I had found her. Bella was everything I have ever looked for in a friend and companion. I had no doubt in my mind that when it came time to share our passion fully, she would be everything I ever looked for in a lover as well. Alice had warned me not to anger Bella and I certainly learned today what happens when I do. Yes a pissed off Bella is frightening.

As I sat there I thought about what Eleazar said, I knew Bella was beyond special. I also knew that she was destined for something great, but I am very curious about the rest of this prophecy, for lack of a better term. I am certain there is more to it and I imagine the path Bella is set upon will be one full of struggles. I will travel the path with her and be her strength when she needs me. I'm very curious as to what else this seer shared with Eleazar.

Tomorrow should be another interesting day, although I have a feeling that everyday going forward with Bella will be interesting. I already miss her, I should have gone with them, but she needed some alone time with Carlisle and Esme.

*****Not as long as the last chapter but I hope you enjoyed it! Please Review!!!!**** **

**Also Just a quick question - I was thinking of changing this to M because when it is time for J & B to share their passion I think I might add more details than would be appropriate for a T rating. Let me know what you think, if not I will keep those scenes mild. Thanks for the input!**


	15. Chapter 15

*****SM owns the characters******

**Please review!  
**

Chapter 15

JPOV – I just like his point of view better ;-)

Carlisle, Esme and Bella were out hunting for hours, when they finally returned I could feel the awe and wonder coming from Carlisle and Esme. I had to chuckle because if their experience hunting with Bella was like mine I definitely understood the wonder they felt. I could hear Bella bounding up the stairs and feel her excitement. Wonder what has her so excited?

She charged into the study with a big grin on her face, "Hunting was amazing with them. We found a herd of deer with two sick members. We also came upon a sick grizzly bear and a gravely injured lynx. It was a great trip, you should have come with us." She was talking so fast I could barely keep up with her. She plopped down in her chair gazing at me. I had to laugh at the expression on her face, "I gather you had a good time?" She grinned bigger and nodded. "Did Esme and Carlisle enjoy themselves as much as you?"

Her smile faded a bit, "I think so, I didn't really ask them." Just then they appeared at the door, "Bella that was the most incredible hunting experience I have ever had. To watch you interact they way you did with the animals was indescribable. I will never look at hunting the same way again." Esme stated with wonder evident in her voice. Carlisle smiled lovingly at his wife and then added, "You are one incredible vampire Bella." Bella's face lit up again, I swear she was glowing. Apparently praise from our 'parents' meant as much to her as it did to me. With that they left the study and I heard them head upstairs to their room.

I looked over at Bella, "So Darlin, what would you like to do now? The Denali's will be back in about two hours." I asked somewhat hopeful we would explore each other more. That thought quickly left when she replied, "I think I just want to sit here and read for a little while, you know relax a bit before they come back over." I smiled at her and nodded, I'm certain she could feel my disappointment but she didn't say anything. We both picked up our books and were both lost in the stories we were reading when we heard the doorbell.

Bella darted from the room to answer it. I followed behind her at a much slower pace. When I reached the living room everyone was already seated and waiting for me. I inwardly sighed at the lack of private time Bella and I had. Oh well maybe tonight we can head out and spend some time together alone, I thought. I said my hello's to everyone as I took my seat next to Bella.

I could feel the curiosity rolling off of her before she spoke to Eleazar, "Okay so I had time to digest everything you said yesterday, I would like to hear what else the seer told you." Eleazar seemed thrilled with her change of mood and I could feel his eagerness. Of course I was also eager to hear what my love was destined for.

I could see Eleazar's face shift as his eyes closed, it appeared as if he was going back in time to remember everything that was foretold, "As I told you the young woman of the story has a destiny that will bring peace to our world. Her journey is difficult at times but very rewarding at others. It was said the woman will lose many important people in her life before she becomes immortal. Bella I believe you in fact have experienced this, yes?" Bella nodded and I could feel her sadness, probably thinking of her father and the loss of our other family members we experience a short time ago.

Eleazar continued after closing his eyes again, "I thought so. The journey after immortality is reached is spectacular for the young woman. She will find the greatest of loves, she will share her gifts with others, she will make great friends and she will guide the rest of us onto the right path. Her powers are many. Her beauty alone makes all stop momentarily. She is different from others of our kind, her eyes will retain most of their human features. Her body temperature will be warmer than ours, these characteristics will allow her to co-exist with non-mortals as easily as mortals." Of course as soon as he described the woman from the legend I knew it was Bella.

"Her strongest gifts are based on her emotions. She can feel the emotions of all creatures, big and small and know the source of the emotion. She can share how she sees the world with others. She will have control over fire, water, and weather. This gift will develop in time but will never be useful without her one true love." The room was silent as Eleazar told his tale.

"With the combined powers of this young woman and her one true love they will be able to show all of us a better way. While she is the light at the end of his tunnel, he is her strength and emotional guide. The bond created out of pure love will be unbreakable and undeniable. The seer warned that their love could be destroyed if they refused to open themselves fully to each other." Bella and I shared a glance with one another and I felt her love shoot through me in a powerful burst. I sent it back to her combined with mine. She smiled at me and returned her attention to Eleazar.

"The gifts of the young woman will require time to develop. The seer foretold that this woman would be a powerful shield. Her shield would be impenetrable from both physical and mind attacks. Her shield will be able to protect those she chooses to protect. Her shield is very important, once developed she will able to shield her true love from feeling what he makes others feel. With this combined power they will be able to make many feel wonderful or horrible things at the same time." I was shocked, if Bella and I were truly destined for one another and together we would possess such great power, how would we control it?

He continued after a moment of silence, "As powerful as the two are together, they are nearly nothing apart. Both have experienced very dark days, but if they believe in each other their future will be very bright. The power the two share is based on love. This love is founded in the purest form, the start out as friends, become companions and finally lovers. The destiny of this young woman is also determined by her purity when she enters her immortality. If she is completely pure upon entry, her destiny is filled with bright days, fewer struggles and long life. However, if she lost her purity before she enters the world of the immortals, her destiny shifts to one of struggles and loss but still ends in brightness and long life."

My eyes locked with Bella's, yes I was well aware of the fact that she is a virgin and is pure in every sense of the word. I was so grateful at this moment she never shared that with Edward. The room was silent again as everyone looked at Bella. Tanya and Kate had smiles on their faces, while Irina and Carmen looked somewhat confused. Carlisle and Esme appeared to understand completely the meaning of Eleazar's words. Eleazar himself was still sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, I'm sure allowing us all time to absorb everything he was telling us.

Again after a few moments he continued, "The young woman of this story holds the key to all of our futures along with her mate. They will change our world for the better and destroy those that have created the darkness we live in now. The day will come when they stand up to the evil of our world and those of us that believe in a better way will stand with them. Many will question the path, while others will refuse to believe. The ones who join her on the path will share the bright days and long life. She will need to learn to open herself up to the ones she trusts, few will guide her, but many will try." He finally opened his eyes and gazed at Bella.

The room remained silent for several minutes before Tanya grinned at Bella and spoke, "So Bella, how do you feel having all that put on you?" We all laughed at the lighthearted tone Tanya used but we all were wondering. "It certainly is a lot to take in, but I know were my destiny leads, it's just how I make it there that is still unclear to me." She answered in a serious tone.

Eleazar again responded, "Bella your path is yours to choose, we all make our own decisions. I do believe you are the one the seer spoke of but you must make your own choices. Just remember you have all of us to help you along the way." He gave her a small smile and stood up. "Well I believe Carlisle and I have some research to do and I believe the ladies wanted to go shopping. How about we plan to start developing your gifts later tonight Bella?"

Bella returned his smile as she responded, "I look forward to it Eleazar." She turned to look at Esme, "Was I included in your shopping plans? " Esme laughed, "Of course honey, you will always be included." The ladies all stood up and headed to the door. Bella stopped at the door and turned to me with a smile, "I'll see you in a little while, okay?" I again felt like she was being taken from me but I returned her smile and nodded.

I headed to the study again to await the return of the women. Disappointment radiating from me. Again I wondered what will it take to get some alone time with her

************* 2 months later ***************

Days and weeks passed in a blur. I still never seemed to spend more than ten minutes alone with Bella but she told me constantly how much she loved me and sent me waves of it as we spent our days and nights either developing her gifts or hunting with the family. The Denali's were no considered a part of our immediate family seeing as Tanya, Kate and Irina spent every day and night here. My frustration was getting stronger every day, all I wanted was time with the woman I loved.

Bella had perfected her shield when it came to physical or mental attacks. She also learned to fight like a vampire that had lived for decades rather than a few short months. Eleazar and I discussed often how strong and amazing she was. She had learned to trust all of us equally and loved each of us. Today I was again sitting alone in our study awaiting her return from hunting with Esme.

I heard and felt her when she arrived. Again she came bounding into the room and excitement was radiating from her, Esme was on her heals, "I shared my gift with Esme, she can feel the creatures like I can. Isn't that incredible?" I was shocked to say the least but Esme appeared to be more excited than Bella. "Wow, that's wonderful Bella. How do you feel about Esme?" Not that I needed to ask I could feel all of her emotions, she was thrilled. "I can't wait to tell Carlisle. It was the most amazing feeling, I can now hunt like Bella even when she is not with me!" I had never seen Esme so happy. I gave her a warm smile as she headed out of the room to tell Carlisle.

Bella walked over to me and sat on my lap, this was unlike her, we had very little physical contact since that one night, "I want to go meet Peter. I think I have learned all I can from everyone here and I think he can help us work together to develop our powers together." She said as she locked me in her hypnotic gaze. I couldn't believe it, we would finally be alone together and I was really wanted to see Peter and Charlotte again. "I would love that Bella, have you said anything to Esme or Carlisle?" I wasn't sure how they would feel about our departure.

"Yes, I told both of them. But you should also know that later tonight we will meet two new vampires, they will become our siblings. I'm not sure how I know of their arrival but I can feel it. They will take care of Carlisle and Esme while we are gone." Again the woman shocked me. "Did you tell them about that also?" She nodded. "Okay, so when do you want to leave?" It couldn't be soon enough in my opinion. Yes I was feeling selfish but really two months and no alone time, I was slowly going insane.

"I figure we can leave tomorrow afternoon, that way we can spend a little while with the two vampires. I do have a request though." She said with a bit of hesitation. "Anything for you Darlin, you know that." I told her honestly. "Can we stop along the way so you and I can share some time with each other without interruption?" YES, YES, YES.. I wanted to scream, but I reigned in my excitement although I am sure she felt it because she had a huge grin on her face. "Bella I would like nothing more than that." I leaned in a kissed her softly. She immediately responded and deepened the kiss. I swear I could spend eternity kissing her.

She broke the kiss and sent me several waves of desire and love. I smiled at her and returned the feelings. We kissed each other softly again before the kiss became passionate, our tongues fought for dominance but neither of us won. Desire and love swirled around us, neither of us breaking the kiss. My hands were at her waist gently pulling her closer to me, her fingers were wrapped in my hair. Our need for each other was evident. I trailed kisses down her neck and up to her ear, repeating the process several times. She moaned softly and began kissing my neck, she lovingly kissed each scar she encountered. I had never felt anything that felt so good. We continued our attacks on each others necks, before returning to each others mouths. Time seemed to still for us but evidently it continued on, all too soon we heard the doorbell ring. I kissed her lips softly and smiled at her.

"Darlin, we will continue this tomorrow," I told her, my voice coming out huskily. She returned my smile and whispered in my ear, "We better." For the first time in my long existence I felt chills run down my spine, how the hell did she do that? She stood and grabbed my hand as we headed downstairs. In the living room sat two new vampires, one male and one Female.

***** Their night alone in next chapter. Story changing to 'M' ******

**Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

*****SM Owns the characters*****

**Thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I have never written anything like this!**

**BEWARE there is a lemon below. **

Chapter 16

JPOV

As we entered the living room to meet our guests I could feel the emotions of everyone in the room. Concern, wonder, hope, love, and awe. The pair turned to look at us as we entered and of course seeing Bella they were momentarily stunned. I still found this very entertaining. The female recovered the fastest and stood to great us.

"Hi, I'm Vera and this is Rafael, but he goes by Ray." She chimed; her excitement was evident in her voice. Ray stood up next to her. "We have been searching for your family for a long time." She had a huge smile gracing her face. I immediately noticed that Vera and Ray had gold eyes. Thank god, at least they already lived our lifestyle that would make things easier. Vera was a lovely vampire; about five foot five with almost black hair that hung midway down her back. Her face had soft features almost like Esme.

Ray was built similar to me; he stood about six foot two. He had dark hair like Vera's and very defined features. I felt a pang of jealously course through me when I noticed Bella looking at him. She squeezed my hand gently and shot me a strong wave of love and desire. I returned the waves to her. Vera and Ray were both watching us carefully, finally Ray spoke.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, as Vera indicated I am Ray. We have been searching out others like us for nearly a decade. We met a nice couple about six months ago that suggested we find your family." Ray was speaking directly to me, obviously trying to release the obvious tension in the air.

I could feel the curiosity and hope coming from Esme and Carlisle, I figured that I should also help to quell the tension in the room, "It is a pleasure to meet both of you. I am Jasper and this is Bella, you have already met Esme and Carlisle." Ray and I shook hands, followed by Vera and I. Bella greeted both with a warm smile and also shook their hands. "What couple suggested you find us?" I was curious as to who would send these two our way.

Vera responded this time, "We met Peter and Charlotte about a year and a half ago. They told us about your family, as well as the Denali family. Where are the rest of your family members? Peter said there were seven, possibly eight in your family." I could immediately feel the sadness sweep across the room; I tried to send calming waves out but had little success. Of course Peter and Charlotte did not know what happened, I have not contacted them.

Bella answered this time, "Our family has experienced terrible loss recently. Rather than forcing us to relive it, may I show you the events that transpired?" She asked them somewhat reluctantly, I had almost forgotten she could share those images with others. I saw Ray tense up, however, Vera remained calm, interesting. Vera responded to Bella, "I am so sorry, we never would have asked had we known. You don't have to share anything with us if it makes you uncomfortable." She was very genuine and I could feel the sympathy rolling off of her.

Bella grabbed Vera's hand and I watched as her eyes closed. Bella maintained the contact with Vera; I assumed she was sharing the events that transpired that horrific day. Only a few seconds passed, but it felt like minutes, Vera opened her eyes. She stepped forward and wrapped Bella in a tight embrace, "I am so sorry, that was horrible. They are truly monsters." Bella returned her embrace and I could feel the waves of calm she was sending over the room.

Ray finally spoke up, "Vera, are you okay? What did she show you?" He was very concerned and I could feel the love he felt for her. So that answered one of my questions, they were indeed mates. Vera stepped back from Bella and gave us both a sad smile before answering Ray, "I'm fine Ray. The Volturi destroyed part of this family without cause. Aro again demonstrated what a monster he truly is." Ray wrapped his arms around Vera and pulled her back down to sit beside him.

He looked at each of us before speaking, "We have experienced the brutality of the Volturi as well. They do not deserve the pedestal many of our kind have placed them on." While I definitely agreed with him, I did not want to spend all day discussing the Volturi. Nor did I want to linger on what they took from us, so I decided I would change the direction of the discussion, "While I'm sure we would all agree with you. Let us not spend our entire day discussing them. We would all like to find out about you two and I am sure you are curious about us as well."

Relief quickly became the dominant emotion in the room. We spent the next several hours talking with each other. We learned their histories, while they learned ours. It turns out Vera has a unique gift. She can see the auras around all living things. She said Bella and I had the most unique she had ever seen. According to her, our auras intertwined with each other creating hues that she had never seen before. She explained that in her 75 years as a vampire she had never seen auras feed off of each other. Then she asked the question I knew was coming, "Are you two mates? You definitely have an unbreakable bond between you, but I can't tell if you are mates."

Bella shocked me when she answered, "Yes, we are. Our bond was created when Jasper changed me but we meant a great deal to each other even before that." I couldn't believe she actually said it. She had indicated before that she wanted to wait to tell Esme and Carlisle. I glanced over at our parents and was pleased to see they both looked happy and their emotions confirmed it. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me, I did not like hiding what we were to each other.

Vera smiled and continued telling us her history and then Ray took over to tell his. Apparently Vera changed Ray ten years after she was changed, she was lonely and felt a strong connection to him. They have been together ever since and both only slipped once from their vegetarian lifestyle. Ray had no gift other than the absolute love he gave to Vera. They really were a perfect couple. At the conclusion of their stories, I knew they would fit in well with our family.

Carlisle told them his history and stories of changing Edward, Esme, Rose and Emmett. He explained how Alice and I showed up at their home much like they had. He welcomed them in and I knew instantly we would all be very close. I shared some of my history with them, while Bella explained that we were leaving tomorrow. We told them we were going to visit Peter and Charlotte but would invite them down once we got settled.

For the next several hours we all sat together and shared stories. We laughed often and just enjoyed each others company. I truly trusted the two new additions to the Cullen family. Bella finally indicated it was time for us to pack and head out. My excitement level grew and I could not contain it as I was packing. I took a few minutes while we were separated to book the small cottage I knew of in the mountains of Montana. Tonight was about us.

Bella popped into my room with a bag in her hand, apparently ready to go, "Jasper, you need to reign yourself in a little. Esme is downstairs with Vera talking about setting up their room, but she is nearly bouncing up and down." She laughed her beautiful laugh, I'm sure the look on my face was comical. I pulled in my emotions and headed to the door. Painfully eager to have some time without interruption with Bella.

We gave everyone hugs and kisses and made our way to my car. As I opened the door for Bella I noticed what she was wearing. Very tight jeans, a dark blue v neck top that exposed a bit of her delectable cleavage and cowboy boots. Damn she looked hot! I wasn't sure if we would make it out of the driveway much less the four hours drive to the cottage. She interrupted my train of thought when she spoke, "Are we leaving or are you just going to stare at me all day?" She asked with a chuckle.

Again if I could have blushed I would have, "Sorry, you just look incredible. I really like the cowboy boots, very sexy." I answered before shutting her door and racing to get in the car. We rode for a bit in silence, sending waves of love and desire to each other. We made idle chat at one point before slipping back into our comfortable silence. Along the way I called Peter to let him know we would be coming for a visit, however, I did not tell him the exact day because I really wanted a few days with Bella alone.

Finally after several hours we pulled into the cottage, I could feel the confusion coming from Bella, "Is this where they live?" She asked. I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped my mouth before answering her, "No I thought we could spend some time together alone before we go meet up with them. Is that ok with you?" I could feel her desire, love and fear.

"Bella we don't have to do anything you don't want to, I just want some time with you. We have had very little time alone the past two months." I was becoming concerned that she would be angry with me. As I watched her face and felt her emotions shift from confusion to understanding to acceptance to overwhelming love and desire, I knew I had made the right choice.

We climbed out of the car and walked into the cottage. The living room was lovely, everything was designed for comfort; oversized chairs and couches with large fluffy pillows as well as a gigantic fireplace that covered one whole wall of the living room. We continued our exploration of the rooms, finding a large bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub that could fit probably five or six adults. The single bedroom was large with a four poster king size bed, another smaller fireplace with large floor pillows laid out in front of it. The view out the back door from the bedroom was glorious, we were surrounded by the beauty of Montana's mountains.

I went to the fireplace and started a fire in the bedroom, we didn't need the warmth but it set a nice atmosphere. Bella had nothing since we entered but I could feel her excitement and wonder as we wandered through the small cottage. As I stood looking at the flames of the fire, I started thinking again of how much I wanted Bella and I to share everything. I wanted us to finally connect as lovers, but I knew she still had her innocence and I could not rush into anything. I was not sure if she would want to wait until we were married to share that but a large part of me was hoping not.

I turned back to her and broke the silence, "Bella, did you want to go relax in the tub a bit?" I had some ideas of what we could do in that gigantic tub but not yet, this was all about what she wanted.

She turned to me, giving me another of her breathtaking smiles, "Well that all depends, were you going to join me?" She asked as her grin turned mischievous. She sent wave upon wave of desire at me while waiting for my response. "If you would allow me to join you, I would like nothing more." I told her with all sincerity. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bathroom.

**LEMON BELOW**

She turned on the water, hot only, and the jets of the Jacuzzi. I watched as she stood there waiting for the tub to fill. Finally she turned back to me, she closed the small distance between us almost too quickly for me to see. Her lips were upon mine, the hunger and need evident. I responded instantly. Our tongues explored each others mouths for several minutes before she broke the kiss and pulled my shirt over my head.

My own insecurities started to creep up again, but she quickly without words stopped them. She planted soft open mouthed kisses on every scar across my chest and up my neck. She sent me wave upon wave of love again as her lips crashed upon mine. She whispered against my lips, "I love you Jasper, every part of you. I want us to become one, I need you." I pulled back from her and stared into her fabulous eyes, "I love you as well, Darlin. Are you sure?" I had to check, she was still a virgin and I would not take that from her if she was not positive.

"Jasper, I want eternity with you. I need every bit of you. Please." I could feel her emotions changing, she thought I was rejecting her. "Bella, stop. I want nothing more than to share this with you. I just wanted to make sure you were sure about it. I will never deny you anything, especially that." I pulled her back to me and urgently kissed her lips. I ran my hands up and down her spine, finally breaking our kiss to remove her top. Again no bra, this woman was going to be the death of me.

I slowly traced my fingers across her stomach and up to her left breast. I watched my hand slide over her breast and cupped it gently. Her body was amazing, absolutely perfect. She let out a soft moan and reached for the button on my pants. I released her breast and quickly slid my pants and shoes off. She removed her boots, her jeans and her panties. I could have stood there for eternity staring at the woman in front of me.

She grabbed my hand again and pulled me towards the tub. She climbed in and sank beneath the water. I followed her in. The hot water along with the jets felt wonderful against my body. I pulled Bella over to me, she came willingly. Our lips crashed upon each other again, desire, need and love swirling around us.

I slowly traced the contours of her body, grazing her breasts and following her lines over her ass, down her beautiful long legs. She wrapped her legs around me and I could feel her heated core push against my already erect cock. Her hands ran down my chest, passing ever so close to where I wanted her touch the most. She broke our kiss and began kissing up and down my neck to my ear, gently nibbling along the way. I don't know if I could get any harder, she was bringing me pleasure in the newest ways. She continued to slowly torture me for several minutes. While my hands explored her body, gently squeezing her breasts every so often.

Sex for me was always needy, never really full of desire and love. This was already amazing and we had not really done anything. I whispered in her ear, "Bella lets move to the bed." She simply nodded and detangled herself from me, I immediately felt the loss of her body against mine. I quickly followed her out of the tub and helped her dry herself off. She gave me her mischievous smile again and headed to the bedroom. I nearly sprinted after her.

When I met her in the room she was standing in front of the fireplace, her bare back to me. God I wanted her in the worst ways, I would provide her more release than she ever felt before. I strode over to her and placed several kisses along her shoulders and down her back. She quickly turned and pulled my face to hers. This kiss was filled with passion, love, desire. Her hands slide down my back, across my ass, she gave me a gentle squeeze.

I pulled her down to the floor and shifted some of the pillows so we would be more comfortable. I met her gaze, "Bella if at any point you want me to stop, just tell me." I told her while sending her all the love I felt for her. "There is not stopping this, I need you Jasper," She replied in a husky voice. I gently kissed her lips, then started kissing my way down her body. I stopped at each breast, caressing and nibbling on her hardened nipples before continuing my exploration of her body.

Our love for each other was swirling around us as I started kissing her stomach, smiling as her muscles contracted at my touch. I gently spread her legs as I kissed down her right leg and up her left. I could smell her arousal increasing by the second, she smelt delicious. I continued kissing my way up her leg, stopping just short of her core. I gently placed my hand against her heated core. A moan escaped Bella's mouth as she pushed her core against my hand.

I slowly traced my fingers down her lips, gently circling her nub. Low moans were streaming from her now and I could feel her desire increasing. I slowly slid one finger into her very tight, warm , wet core. As my finger slowly entered and exited her body I dropped my mouth to her nub. My tongue joined my fingers assault on her heated core. I licked and sucked up all the heavenly juices flowing from my angel. She was divine. I slid a second finger into her and began thrusting faster, curling my fingers slightly to hit her g-spot, I could feel her nearing her release. Her breaths were becoming labored and her moans were louder.

I whispered against her heated core, "Cum for me Darlin. I want to taste you. Let yourself go." Immediately I felt her muscles tighten around my fingers and she screamed my name as she reached her first orgasm. I pulled my fingers out and replaced them with my tongue, lapping up all the juices that flowed from her. She pulled my face up to hers and kissed me urgently, I'm sure she could taste herself on my but didn't seem to care. Her hands drifted down to my very erect cock and she began stroking me, slowly at first then speeding up her strokes.

"Jasper, I need you in me now," She whispered in my ear. I positioned myself above her and met her gaze. I slowly entered her incredibly wet, tight core. As I met her barrier I sent her a wave of trust and love, she smiled and nodded. After one strong thrust I was completely joined with her. I did not move while allowing her body to adjust to the size of me. After a few moments of soft kisses she started rocking her hips, indicating she was ready.

Feeling her warm body against mine along with the warm and tightness of her core I knew I would not last long. I began slowly pulling out and then re-entering her, I could feel her need increase again. I increased the speed and strength of my thrusts as our need for release increased. I could feel her walls beginning to tighten around my cock as her nails dug into my back. Seconds later we both screamed each others names as our orgasms rocked our bodies at the same time. Her walls clenched tighter as she milked my cock.

I shifted slightly so I could lay dawn beside her, but not removing myself from her. Both of us breathing heavily, still coming down from our own highs. After several minutes Bella spoke softly, "That was incredible. Thank you Jasper." Jesus this woman was a saint. I just experienced the most powerful orgasm every, with the most astounding woman and she was thanking me. She gave me her innocence and her love. I am the luckiest man alive.

"Darlin, I should be thanking you. That was the most amazing feeling I have ever had." I told her honestly before placing soft kisses along her neck, up to her ear. I felt her desire spike again, causing my body to respond. I hardened again and she flipped us so she was on top of me. She placed loving kisses all over my chest before starting to gently rock against my body. I placed my hands over her breasts, squeezing gently before wrapping my arms around me and pulling her down to kiss me.

This was going to be a wonderful few days as we got to know each others bodies.

*****REVIEW PLEASE******


	17. Chapter 17

*****SM Owns the characters*****

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews.**

**One reviewer asked if there would be additional lemons. At this point I am not sure, perhaps one more but I need the story to progress and this story is not so much about their physical relationship as it is their emotional bond.**

**Please review!!! Hope you Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

JPOV

Three days. Three days we spent in our little cottage, neither of us caring what happened on the outside. The past three days have been the best of my existence; I really have nothing to compare it to. Here I sit waiting for Bella to finish up in the bathroom so we can head over to see Peter and Charlotte. My mind replays the last three days over and over, I have never reached peaks so high, never have I felt such an all consuming love like I do from Bella. She is truly my life now. Even as I bask in the joys of the past days, my mind drifts to a darker place.

I have to talk to Bella about the promise she made to our lost family members, apparently whatever it was, holds our destiny. I have a good idea that it will lead to Aro, but I need her to confirm it. I would be lying if I said I was not concerned. I can not imagine someone harming her; I would not be able to continue without her. Somehow I know the same goes for her, we were destined to be together, and apart we are no longer whole. It amazes me still; I feel like the beast next to the beauty that is Bella. I do not know what I did to deserve her love but now that I have it from her, nothing will take her from me.

Bella pulls me from my thoughts, "You ready Jasper?" She asks with a huge smile on her gorgeous face. I return her smile, "Not really, but I guess it is necessary." I answer honestly; I would rather spend eternity right here, without worry, without fear of harm coming our way. But I know we must be on our way.

"I know what you mean," she replies with a sad smile. I walk over to her and wrap her in a strong embrace. No words are necessary we can feel each others love, trepidation, and desire. She shifts slightly in my harms and reaches up to place her soft warm lips against mine and whispers, "I love you Jasper Whitlock Hale, thank you for everything." I gently pull back to stare into her eyes, "As I love you Isabella Swan, but what on Earth are you thanking me fore?" Needless to say I don't have a clue why she would thank me, I should be thanking her.

"Jasper, I have so many things to thank you for. Being there for me in some of my darkest days, opening yourself up to me so completely, giving me your love, giving me you. I could go on and on, but still words can never completely convey what you have done for me or how much I cherish you." She opened herself completely to me as soon as she was done speaking and I was hit with the strength of her love and appreciation.

"Bella, you have given me just as much, actually more. Never have I felt unconditional faith and love like I do from you. You are my world darlin and I would be lost without you." I returned the love and appreciation to her. I'm not sure how long we stood there exchanging our emotions but again it seemed time stood still for us. Again it was just was, alone with each other, complete.

I finally broke the silence, "I don't know if this is the right time, but we really need to discuss the promise you made and where our path is heading." I said this not knowing what reaction I would get, but knowing we had to discuss it. I felt her emotions shift to determination and resolve.

"Let's get on the road and we can talk as we drive." She replied as she released me from her embrace. It was very evident in her tone that she was not happy about me bringing this topic up but none the less I could tell she also knew it was a necessary discussion. As we headed to the car with our hands entwined it still shocked me that this woman was somehow meant to be with me. As I glanced at the sky I could see the storm clouds moving in and I wondered if she was somehow causing them. We still had not determined how she could control the weather.

We had been on the road for about ten minutes before she finally spoke, "You have probably already figured out what I promised but I'm sure you would like conformation." I nodded so she continued. "When I saw what Aro did I made a commitment then and there to avenge their deaths. I told myself that after I was changed I would destroy the bastard." I could feel her rage beginning to spike as a heavy rain began to fall. "He only wants to guarantee that they remain in power, but really what do they do? They destroyed half of our family, for what, his own personal satisfaction? They do not deserve the respect that so many of our kind give them." As she finished the storm around us intensified and her rage continued to strengthen. I knew she wouldn't except calming waves from me.

"Darlin, you need to calm down. I understand your anger, I do. I agree with you fully and together we will fulfill your promise." I pulled over on the side of the road so I could focus everything I had on her. "Bella, look at me," I requested. She turned in her seat and met my gaze, "I love you and we will face our future together, remember the prophecy, this is our destiny." I told her gently, trying to calm her with words.

Several minutes passed and storm she somehow manufactured started to quiet. The rain slowed from a downpour to a soft mist. I remained on the side of the road, my eyes never leaving hers. She took my hand in hers and lifted it to her mouth and gently kissed my palm. She smiled a small smile that did not reach her eyes. Neither of us speaking, I started sending her waves of my love. Her emotions slowly calmed and her love again became her strongest emotion.

I leaned over the console and placed a soft kiss on her lips before I spoke. "We need to go if we are going to make it to Peter and Charlotte's today." I smiled at her and she nodded. As I pulled back onto the highway I thought about what she said about Aro and I agree that the time is near that their reign over our world has come to an end.

We drove in comfortable silence except when one of our phones would ring. Esme called to check on us and send her love. Carlisle called to share how happy they were to have Vera and Ray join our family. Tanya and Kate called to check up on us as well and request Bella to call them later and share the details of our three days of privacy. Of course, she would never discuss our time together, however we both found it entertaining that they would want to hear about it.

We finally pulled up to Peter and Charlotte's home right as the sun was settling in the west. The view was breathtaking as we exited the car, both of us took a minute to enjoy it before heading to the door. Before I could even knock the door flew open and I was pulled into a tight hug by Charlotte. I returned her hug briefly before withdrawing from the embrace to introduce her to Bella, "Hello Charlotte I would like you to meet Bella." I said with love and adoration lacing my voice.

Charlotte looked confused and then asked the question I was dreading, "Where is Alice? I thought Bella was with Edward." As she spoke Peter appeared at her side. I noticed her had a knowing look in his eyes, he always seemed to know things about my life. I looked back at Charlotte as I answered, "It is a long story, can we come in?" Somehow I think she forgot we were standing in the doorway. Peter chuckled at his wife and pulled her back so we could enter their home.

"Peter I would like you to meet Bella. Bella this is Peter," I introduced them. Bella smiled at Peter and he returned it, "Bella we are very happy to welcome you to our home, please forgive Charlotte for her lack of manners, she is just confused as to what is going on. " He said with a chuckle. Charlotte shot him a glare. I couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Peter is nice to finally meet you, Jasper has shared many stories with me about you and Charlotte." She then shifted her eyes to Charlotte, "Charlotte you have a lovely home and thank you for welcoming us into it." Bella's said with undeniable sincerity before continuing, "As Jasper said our story is fairly long, but we would like to share it with you." They both nodded and then led us into their living room. As we settled into our seats I looked around.

Their home was quite lovely. The design was very country but had touches of modern interlaced. Peter always the type to want answers immediately broke the silence, "So please tell us your story, we are both quite eager to find out what has occurred." Bella and I shared a glance before I launched into the story starting at the beginning. By the time I finished Charlotte was staring at us dumbfounded while Peter continued to look like he already understood.

Peter spoke after a few moments of silence, "Well I guess I will start with expressing our sincerest condolences to you two. While it does please me that you have found each other it was a very difficult journey for you both. I now understand the letter I received from Alice a few months ago." I am certain my shock was mirrored by Bella's. Alice had sent a letter to Peter? What did she say? I didn't even have time to ask my questions as Peter continued, "She indicated that you would be visiting in the coming months, but she would not be with you. She was rather cryptic in the letter but indicated I would understand after you shared your story, which now of course I do. So I gather you are here to further Bella's training, correct?"

One thing about Peter, he was always straight to the point. Bella and I both nodded in unison. He laughed and continued, speaking directly to Bella this time, "You are very powerful, I can sense it. You have not reached your full potential but I am afraid that will not come until you are faced with great adversity. Charlotte and I will of course be more than happy to help both of you." He shifted his gaze back to me, "You still need to develop as well my old friend. You have much to learn together, you will have to learn to use your powers in unison. We will work on that in the coming weeks." He concluded without leaving any room for argument.

Bella replied before I could, "Thank you Peter. I agree that we still have much to learn." She stood up and walked over to him pulling him up into a hug. I brief flash of jealousy hit me before I could stop it. Bella glanced over at me and gave me a knowing smile. Crap, she felt that. Charlotte not wanting to feel left out joined the hug. The three of them started laughing before releasing each other. I was relieved that she felt so comfortable with them but part me still wanted to keep her to myself.

After sharing our story we all settled into easy conversation, talking about the past, looking forward to the future and just getting to know one another. The evening passed quickly bringing the new day with it. We agreed to begin training later that afternoon after we hunted. We retired to our rooms to relax and enjoy our partners company. Bella and I laid on the bed just sharing gentle kisses and the peace that had settled around us. We both new that the next several weeks would be filled with more training and less time alone.

*****A/N *** Not as long as other chapters but I wanted to start out slowly with Peter and Charlotte. They are very important to the development of JXB.**

**Please let me know what you think…**


	18. Chapter 18

*****SM owns the characters*****

**A/N – I really want to thank everyone that has reviewed my story. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please let me know what you think!**

Chapter 18

JPOV

After several hours of quiet Peter called out to us. We gave each other one last kiss and headed downstairs. "Now that everyone is calm, it is time for us to talk about more serious things again." Peter said with a note of authority in his voice. Typically I would have been the authorative voice, but I knew this time it was his turn. After Bella and I nodded he continued, "Let's head out back so we can discuss some things and maybe begin practicing."

We followed Peter outside and I was shocked to see the transformation of the backyard. A large area had been cleared; evidently this is where practice would take place. In the middle of the clearing was a small bonfire, Charlotte was already sitting near the fire where three additional chairs awaited us. Bella and I followed Peter over to Charlotte and took our seats. Bella was the first to speak, "So what it is you would like to discuss Peter?"

He smiled at Bella before he spoke, "As you know Alice sent me a letter a few months ago," we both nodded, I of course anticipated there was more to this letter than Peter originally indicated. Peter shifted his gaze to me and continued, "In the letter she told me that I would need to help guide the path you are on. She said she was brought into your life to help you learn control and regain your self confidence. She further explained that she would not change anything in her life and all she ever wanted was for you to be happy. She loved you with all she had but it was not the level of love that you share with Bella."

He paused while we absorbed what he said but then continued, "Now it would seem the time has come for your journey to bring you both to us. Bella you have extraordinary gifts and I can not wait to see them develop further. I was wondering if you could show Charlotte and I something now?" I gauged Bella's emotions and only felt trust and love radiating from her.

She gave Peter a bright smile before speaking, "I have something in mind but I must warn you all that you have to trust me. What I am going to do may feel a bit overwhelming at first, but please try to stay calm." I was surprised by the confidence in her voice, she apparently new what she wanted to do. I was the first to respond this time, "Bella we know that you would never bring harm to us and you know I trust you with my life." Peter and Charlotte nodded in agreement with my words. She met my gaze briefly before she asked us to close our eyes.

Suddenly the darkness I saw behind my eyes was replaced with a blinding light, the light slowly faded to a dim glow. Then suddenly images flashed before me, some I had seen but most were new to my eyes. I was hit was a powerful wave of love, the love that I felt reminded me of the day I changed Bella. It was all consuming, it was wonderful. The images shifted a bit, they became clearer, I realized she was showing us the world through her eyes. Everything was so pure, the colors were brighter, figures flashed before me, each glowed with different levels of brightness.

The love continued to swirl around us, then I heard her speak softly but with a commanding voice, "Open you eyes now." I opened my eyes and could not believe what I saw. In fire before us the flames began to shift, turning into different animals, lingering on the shape of a swan. The flames changed again, turning a bright blue at the base leading out to different shades of purples. It was beautiful to watch. As quickly as the flames changed they returned to there normal appearance just as swiftly. While the love continued to flow through us, peace and tranquility were added.

Peter, Charlotte and I stared at Bella in awe. I could not immediately use my own gift as I basked in the feelings Bella was sending. Peter was the first to break the silence, his voice weak as the emotions continued to flow through him, "Well I guess I did ask to be shown something, but that was truly amazing. I don't know about Charlotte and Jasper but I feel so calm, and I can still see the glow around you guys." He said as he looked from Bella to me to Charlotte.

Bella smiled gently and walked over to him, crouching in front of him before she spoke, "Peter I have shared that particular gift with you. With it you can see many things, the brighter the glow around the person, the better they are. Use it combined with your own gifts, trust me it will make them better." She squeezed his hands gently in hers and winked at him. Peter looked shocked but I could feel the gratitude and understanding radiating from him. Bella glanced back at me and smiled before shifting to look at Charlotte.

"Charlotte I have given you the gift of manipulating fire, I demonstrated before some of the power of the gift. Use it wisely; it can be as dangerous as it is useful." She gently wrapped her arms around Charlotte and hugged her. Charlotte hugged her back and I am certain if she could have cried she would have rivers flowing from her. Bella finally stood up and walked back to me, she settled back in her chair before speaking again.

"My gifts are dominated by emotions, so please understand the stronger you feel the more powerful the gifts I have shared will become." Peter gave a knowing smile and Charlotte still looked shocked. As much as it pleased me that she was sharing her gifts with them, I was beginning to feel slightly left out. Bella apparently felt my shift of emotions because she turned in her chair to look at me.

"Jasper don't feel excluded, our bond is eternal and is strengthened each day we are together. Our gifts will feed off of each other. That is why were are here, Peter and Charlotte will help us. I have already strengthened your natural gift, now it is time for us to learn how our gifts work together." I was again rendered speechless by the woman before me. She placed her small warm hand upon my cheek and smiled gently at me. I fell deeper in love with her at that moment.

Peter broke our moment of intimacy, "Thank you Bella. I really did not understand your strength before but now I do. We will have to focus on the training because the Volturi will hear of you quickly if they do not already know." His tone was laced with urgency that both Bella and I felt. "Let's begin then," Bella replied matching his tone.

Peter glanced between the two of us then stood up, "I have a theory that I would like to test with you two." He had a bit of a smirk on his face as he spoke. I replied this time, also standing, "What do you have in mind Peter?" Charlotte and Bella both stood as well waiting to hear what he had in mind.

"Well we know that Bella is a shield, so I was thinking that we could try to have her shield you while you projected emotions. My thought is that if she can protect you from feeling them, you will be able to project them further and stronger." He answered me. While I thought his idea was definitely interesting, I was concerned as well. Bella grabbed my hand and gave it a firm squeeze while sending me waves of confidence.

Peter continued before I could voice my concerns, "The reason why I want to focus on this is because I am afraid that Bella will not be able to actually harm anyone." He shifted his gaze to her, "Bella you are the purest creature I have ever met. The love you radiate is the strongest I have ever felt. I think the only being you will actually ever be able to harm is Aro, and that is only because of the destruction he has caused you and your family." He spoke with such sincerity it was hard to question his line of thinking.

Bella did not respond immediately and I could not get a read on her emotions, finally she responded, "You are probably right Peter. I never want to be the cause of pain like Aro inflicted upon us. And I can not project emotions like Jasper does; my gift is limited to a small area. I think we should go ahead and try it." She finished with an air of determination surrounding her.

Peter nodded and told her to let me know when she was ready. I looked at Bella and she met my gaze, "You ready?" She asked. I was not sure what I was supposed to expect but I responded with a small smile, "Let's get this practice underway." After a few seconds she responded, "Go ahead." I sent out a strong wave of fear. Peter and Charlotte were immediately affected by it, but I could feel it as well. I immediately pulled it in.

Bella cursed under her breath before telling me to try again. Again I sent out a wave of fear and again I felt it. This continued for hours before we finally had one successful attempt. At least we knew it was possible. After agreeing to continue our practice in a few hours Bella and I went to hunt.

We returned to the backyard after we hunted and I we were immediately assaulted with the emotions of fear and concern. Bella and I raced over to Peter to find out what was going on. "Aro has indeed found out about the powers Bella possesses, the entire guard along with the whole family will be heading our way in three weeks." Bella dropped to the ground beside me. I could feel her anger beginning to rise.

"Bella we will be fine, we are strong. We will gather others to witness and stand with us. Darlin, you have to calm down." Again a storm began to brew around us, lightening shot through the sky and thunder boomed. Rain and hail began to fall and I knew if I could not settle her soon it would get much worse. "Darlin, come on calm down. We need to practice. We need to be ready for their arrival. I love you Bella, please calm down." I whispered into her ear. Peter stood and watched the storm rage around us in awe.

After several minutes the rain and hail ceased but the lightening and thunder continued. She lifted her eyes to meet mine, "He will not harm another that I care about." The venom in her voice actually frightened me briefly. I responded calmly, "I know but we have to practice to be ready for them." Peter interjected at this point, "Charlotte is in the house right now contacting everyone we know to come and stand with us. Carlisle is doing the same thing. The Cullen's and Denali's will be here the day after tomorrow to start training with us."

Bella stood and I could feel the determination and acceptance coming from her as she spoke, "Let's not waste anymore time then. Jasper, are you ready?" As the thunder and lightening continued we began to practice again. Bella was able to protect me while I projected different emotions to Peter.

After several hours she was able to protect me as well as Charlotte. Peter suggested that I needed to try to project a very intense emotion so we could try to figure out how far the projection went. He ran about a half mile from us and waited. The only emotion I could think of was pain, so I sent out a very strong wave. Peter dropped to the ground while Charlotte remained protected under Bella's shield. We decided that we had practiced enough and needed some time to collect ourselves.

I was amazed at how strong I felt after hours of practice. Bella truly brought out the strength in me that I had long since buried away. I was no longer the weak one of the Cullen's or the follower of Maria. I was half of a whole with Bella. While I would be the strength, she would always be my shield. While I could feel the fear radiating from Charlotte and Peter, all I could feel from Bella was love and determination, no fear. She really is an astonishing creature.

Bella and I headed to our room, while Peter and Charlotte decided they would go into town and do some shopping to prepare for all the visitors they would be having. Finally have some time to ourselves, I wrapped my arms around the woman I loved and whispered in her ear, "I love you Bella." She pulled back slightly from me and looked me in the eyes, "I love you Jasper." She pulled my face down and kissed me softly and sent me waves of love and desire. I decided at that moment I would make her my wife before the Volturi arrived, if she agreed.

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	19. Chapter 19

**Characters belong to SM**

**A/N – Again I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, added to favorites, etc. This chapter may seem sort of fast paced but I did not want to linger on too many details.**

Chapter 19

The next couple of days passed quickly, our family had arrived and began training with us. The ladies decided to take a trip into town to do a little shopping in an effort to forget about the upcoming battle. I took the opportunity to finally go out and get a ring for Bella; my intentions were to propose tonight. I asked Carlisle, Peter and Ray to join me. I wanted to let them know what I was planning and gauge their reactions.

We were all loaded into Peter's jeep heading to a different town from where the women went when I decided to talk to them, "Thanks for coming out with me today." I opted to start the conversation with thanks. Peter glanced at me and again gave me a knowing smirk. What was it about it him, he always seemed to know what I was planning before I spoke.

Carlisle responded to, "No problem Jasper, but I am curious as to what we are going out for." I turned to look at him before answering, a smile crossing my face, "Well you all know how much I love Bella and I want to ask her to marry me tonight. I would appreciate it very much if you three would help me pick the perfect ring, for the perfect woman. I want us to be together in every sense before the Volturi arrive." I monitored their emotions and was pleased to find only love, joy and Carlisle was emitting strong amounts of pride.

"Damn you can't even pick out a ring for her with out our help?" Peter asked in a teasing tone. I glared at him briefly before grinning, "I just want your opinions, the choice will be mine though." I told him seriously. All three of them nodded in agreement. As we neared town I started to become nervous. Apparently I was projecting because Peter punched my arm and spoke, "Man you are killing me here. I feel like a teenager on a first date I'm so nervous. Can you rein it in?"

I started laughing, then the others joined in, "Sorry guys I'm just concerned she will say no." Carlisle and Peter both shook their heads at me but Ray spoke this time, "I know I just met you two, but I have never seen a love like what you share. I don't think you have anything to worry about. She adores you." His words were quickly agreed with by Peter and Jasper. Peter parked and we headed towards the small jewelry shop.

We had been starring at different rings for the past hour and still had not found the perfect one. I was becoming aggravated. Finally the store clerk said she may have the perfect ring for me but she had to retrieve it from the back of the store. We waited for several minutes before she returned, placing a small black box that was covered with dust on the counter. I opened the box and immediately knew this was the one.

The older woman brought my attention back to her as she began speaking, "This ring is very old. We gained it at a jewelry auction a few years ago but my husband and I never displayed it. We agreed we would only sell this ring if we felt the love from them that he and I share. I believe you have that love. I can see it in you eyes young man." Love radiated from the frail woman standing across from me. I was thrilled.

I paid for the ring and the kind woman handed me a folded sheet of paper along with the small ring box, "This is the history of the ring. Read it before you ask the lucky woman that has captured your heart. Also, if you need the inscription changed just bring it back and we can do it, but I think you will find it is perfect." I thanked her several times before departing the store. I was sending off waves of happiness as we headed back to the jeep. Everyone that we passed felt them and shared in the bliss I felt.

I sat in the back of the car for the ride home, I wanted to read the rings history before we got back. I unfolded the letter and was immediately shocked:

_Ring creation date: Sept. 13, 1843_

_Creation Place: Italy_

_Created By: Young woman, name unknown_

_Metal: Platinum_

_Carat: 1_

_Cut: Double Dutch Rose – 48 Facets_

_Inscription: Truest of Love for Eternity - JXB_

_Previous wearers: None_

My shock was evident, the ring was created on Bella's birthday in the year I was born. The inscription was perfect for us. This ring belonged on Bella, it was made for her. But how? Who was the young woman that made this ring? My shock turned to confusion as I removed the ring from the box to read the inscription on the band. 'Truest of Love for Eternity – JXB', it certainly was confusing but I was still too thrilled to try to over think it now.

The ladies made it home faster than we did and greeted us when we got out of the car. Bella wrapped her arms around me and gave me a chaste kiss before whispering, "I missed you." I smiled at her as her love hit me like a tidal wave, "I missed you as well, did you have fun?" She nodded and kissed me again. We equally hated be apart from each other.

I pulled her closer to me briefly before letting her go, "Let's go out back with the others, Darlin." She sighed softly and grabbed my hand. We headed to where the others were again beginning to train. My mind was so focused on the question I had for Bella any of the others could have taken me out at that moment. She of course noticed my distraction and could feel my concern.

"Jasper, are you okay?" She stopped and looked me in the eyes. I smiled softly at her and pulled her out to the field with the others. Everyone stopped and watched us, "Bella before we begin training again I want to ask you something." I could feel her curiosity, concern and love before she answered me, "Of course, ask away." She was smiling but it did not quite reach her eyes.

I felt bad for causing her concern but hopefully I could replace it with joy in a moment, "Bella, you mean the world to me. I am whole because of you and I will love for eternity." At this point I dropped to my knee, maintaining my hold on her hand. She gasped softly as I continued, "You are my best friend, my lover and my soul mate. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I held my breath as I awaited her answer.

She sent me the strongest wave of love I had ever felt and dropped to the ground to in front of me and kissed me sending me wave after wave of love, desire, respect, trust and happiness. She briefly pulled away from me and whispered against my lips, "Yes, yes a million times over, yes." The joy we shared together was felt by all the others around us. Each of them had bright smiles on their faces. As we stood up each member of our family congratulated us and hugged us and kissed us.

I removed the ring from my pocket and placed upon her beautiful finger, knowing it would never be removed. I showed her the paper that held the rings story and she shared my confusion and awe. We kissed tenderly again, just enjoying being in each others arms. It was hard to believe we were preparing to fight for our lives in less then two weeks time with all the happiness flowing around us.

We practiced the remainder of the day before retiring to our room for the evening. I told Bella I would like to get married before the fight and she instantly agreed. We decided to have our service in two days time and Peter would officiate for us. We agreed we would plan a honeymoon after the fight. We stayed in our room for only a brief time, before heading downstairs to discuss our plans with everyone. Of course they were all thrilled and Esme, Charlotte and Vera were going to take care of all the details. We only had to show up on time.

Each day that passed brought with it additional company, we had nomad vampires and covens from other countries. Some were gifted, many were not. Eleazar and Carlisle explained our story to each of them as they arrived. All that came agreed to stand with us. Every time they saw Bella for the first time they were astounded by her beauty. They all practiced with us and grew more familiar with Bella's talents. Each time she displayed a fraction of what she could do, many gasped while others just stood and stared.

When it was finally time for our wedding we had almost fifty vampires gathered to bear witness to our vows. As I stood at the arbor designed by Charlotte and Esme waiting for my other half to join me, I took a moment to reflect on all that had happened to bring us to this point. My thoughts drifted to Alice and a slight breeze drifted past me. I smiled knowing she was here in spirit watching over us.

The love and happiness that surrounded me was astounding, I basked in it. It was at this moment I realized this is how every day should feel for Bella and I and she would be the one that brought that desire to fruition. I stood next to Peter as the music began. We had decided that we did not want the traditional bridesmaids and grooms men that typically accompanied a wedding. This was about us and us alone.

I could feel her before I could see her, her love always stronger than any other. As she stepped out onto the short aisle I was certain if I could have passed out I would have. She was even more beautiful today than I had ever seen her. The clouds overhead disappeared and the sun shone upon the glorious woman gliding towards me. The rays reflected off her unlike any other vampire I have seen. Her natural glow enhanced the prism of light. She looked like an angel.

As she reached me she took my hand in hers and gave me her breathtaking smile. Our vows were simple, each agreeing to spend eternity together as friends, lovers and protectors of each other. Peter finished the ceremony as we exchanged simple platinum bands. "The rings you have just placed upon each other represent your love. As a circle has no end, neither does the bond you two share. You may now kiss you bride Mr. Whitlock." Yes we agreed to use my real name. We are now Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock. Isabella Whitlock my wife, my love, my world.

We spent the night alone in the house while the others went hunting to prepare for the fight. We shared our passion over and over throughout the night. Our bodies becoming one. When the first light of day shown we both sighed knowing that again our time alone was over and the time to continue training was once again here.

The days passed even more quickly, it was now the night before the Volturi arrival. Luckily one of the nomads that joined us was capable of seeing the future. I was in the house with Peter going over strategy when we heard a small commotion beginning out back. We rushed out to see what was going on and both of us were surprised by the scene in front of use.

Bella was in the middle of the field alone. It looked like she was meditating if that was possible for a vampire. But the odd thing was no one was near her, all the others were in a group trying to figure out what was going one. I heard one of them say they could no further. I immediately knew Bella had her shield up. Peter looked at me and again gave his all knowing smile, "Only you can reach her Jasper. She is waiting for you." I gave him a strange look but he simply nodded his head.

I stepped forward expecting to hit the wall I had felt several times before. It never came, my strides quickened as I got nearer Bella. In a matter of seconds I was by her side. She smiled but did not open her eyes, "Sit with me." She requested in a quiet voice. After I sat down she grabbed my hand. The feeling of pure love again overtook me when our skin made contact.

Her eyes remained closed as she began talking to me softly, "I want them all to feel this, you need to project it for me. I am going to extend my shield to cover each of them." I looked at her in awe. I kissed her cheek before I answered, "Let me know when you are ready." I responded simply. I would deny her nothing and if others could feel this I was more than happy to help her. With her eyes still shut she said only one word, "Now."

I projected the purest of love any creature could ever feel over the distance her shield allowed which was probably equal to three football fields. Knowing the force of the emotion I expected the reaction that occurred. Each vampire assaulted with the purest of loves, fell to the ground on their knees. As the love coursed through them it was evident that the feeling was wondrous to them. Each accepted it differently but one thing I knew for sure was that it would change the way they looked at the world around them. After several minutes of projecting I let the emotion slowly fade.

I looked back at Bella and she returned by gaze with love still pouring from her. She smiled at me but then turned very serious before speaking, "I want to do that tomorrow as well. The Volturi guards will have options. Their fate is not sealed like Aro's." I wrapped her gently in my arms and whispered to her, "You are amazing Bella." Perhaps she was right; there was no reason to destroy the guard if they did not want to fight. We would give them their options.

**AN * The next chapter will be the fight. Yes there will be a fight. This story is coming to an end soon. I think there will only be two or three more chapters.**

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	20. Chapter 20

*****All characters belong to SM*****

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Chapter 20

The Fight

We were all standing outside in the back of Peter's house. They were coming; we had about 30 minutes before they arrived. I could feel the fear coming from many of the group, but from Bella only love and determination. I projected what she was feeling to the group and I could see them settle down. Bella and I were standing in front of everyone; she believed this was our fight alone. The others would only be involved if necessary.

We could finally see the mass of vampires approaching. There were nearly a thousand of them. They not only brought the guard but every other vampire they could find. There was no way we could defeat them all. I began to feel the panic around me and it was making me panic. Bella grabbed my hand and immediately I felt confident. She gave me a small smile and I returned it. No words were required. We were all protected under her shield.

Aro was now only 20 yards in front of us. His ruby red eyes locked on Bella. I could feel his hatred flowing from him. He despised her. Everyone was silent, even the small creatures of Montana were silent. Aro finally spoke.

"My dear sweet Bella," she cringed at his terms of endearment. "While is it good to see that you were changed, why is it you have you massed an army to fight us? We only want peace for our kind." Many around us growled. We all new he was lying.

Storm clouds began to settle above us. Thunder cracked and lightening shot across the sky. Just hearing his voice caused her anger to skyrocket. I tried to send her a wave of calm but it did not help to decrease the rage pouring from her.

"You bastard. You never want peace for our kind. You want power. You want slaves; why else would you require your guard to call you master?" Her voice was laced with venom and I was certain everyone could see the fury in her eyes.

"Ah… Bella… Bella… Bella. You are so misguided. Is this truly what you think of us? We are the peace keepers of our kind, we do not use our position to gain more power." She laughed at him. Openly laughed at him. Even I was taken back by her reaction. No one ever laughed in the face of Aro.

I could feel his anger start to rise, but Bella was determined to maintain control of the situation so she continued. "Shall I show everyone the way you pass judgment on our kind?" A tremendous lightening bolt hit the ground only yards from the group across from us. Several jumped, while others quickly retreated several yards.

Aro was frozen with her words. He had no idea the power she had. The briefest of seconds passed and we were all transported to another time. She replayed everything he said and did that fateful day a few months ago. Along with the replaying of the minutes she also shared all the pain of the day. Most of the vampires on both sides dropped to the ground, the pain was excruciating. She did not even flinch. She was using my gift to project out the pain without even asking me to do it. She knew I would not be able to hold it in.

She had never showed it to me or the others in the family. Esme was holding on to Carlisle sobbing, again having to come to terms with the loss of four of her children. As she stopped the vision and looked back into Aro's eyes she spoke again.

"There was no crime. You were threatened by the size of our family. You were scared of the powers that they had. You were envious of Carlisle and you destroyed them without a second thought. You are cruel and deserve the death that will be brought to you by my hands." She looked lethal. She regained a bit of her composure and spoke to the others massed around him.

"Your fates are not sealed yet. There is another way. You do not have to fight us. Consider walking to our side now." She gave no warning except squeezing my hand harder and sent me the feeling of pure love again. I knew what she wanted me to do. She whispered to me, I could barely hear her, "Most of them are temporarily under my shield, do it now."

Without hesitation I projected it and I watched as most of the vampires across from us enjoyed the emotion flowing through them. It was so real, so strong and so wonderful. Many began walking to our side. After a few minutes of projecting I stopped. It appeared many on the other side were stunned

Aro did not even blink and began speaking again, "Let me show you what happens to those that try to cross us. Jane. Alec." He called out to the twins. They were frightening. They could destroy an army of thousands because of Alec's gift. The twins stepped forward but I could feel the hesitation coming from Jane. She did not want to do anything to us.

"Yes, Master." They said together. "Show these fools what happens when you cross us. Jane stood motionless but Alec turned to glare at us. We felt nothing. Bella had us all protected under her shield. They could not touch us.

Bella allowed him to try for a minute before she spoke again, "Aro you underestimated my powers. You can not touch us mentally of physically." Her eyes shifted to Jane.

"Jane, you reached out to me for some reason before. I would like to offer you the same thing. You do not need to be destroyed. There is another way to live." Jane and Bella locked eyes and Jane nodded. She took two steps towards us before Aro grabbed her.

That was all it took. Bella launched herself at him. She had him by the throat before most of us registered her movements. Jane backed up a few feet and stared in awe at Bella. I was so focused on Bella that I did not immediately notice several of the guards trying to get to her. Movements happened so quickly, but no one could reach her and Aro. Somehow she split her shield, we were still under it but she and Aro were separate from us.

Fury was raging in her eyes as she spoke, "No one can save you Aro. They can not reach us. This is between you and I." She released her hold on his throat and within a second he attacked her. I could do nothing to help her. His teeth sank into her shoulder and she cried out.

He cackled at her as he removed his teeth from he. "You are not as strong as you think. I should have destroyed you when you were human, but I must say it is much more fun with you as a vampire." He thought this was fun. He truly is a sick fuck.

I began calling out to her, "Bella let me in. Please let me help you." I could not lose her. She is my everything. Peter laid his hand on my shoulder and whispered so only I could hear, "Trust her, Jasper. Watch her. She needs her vengeance."

I stood there unable to assist the woman I adored as she and Aro began circling each other. There was another tremendous crack of thunder and I heard her speak again, "I have no desire to play this game with you. You destroyed your own sister to maintain the power your beloved brother could give you." She spat at him.

What? Many gasps were heard but my eyes landed on Marcus. I watched as he crumpled to the ground. Jane was immediately at his side. How the hell did she know that? Then as if she could hear my thoughts she answered my question.

"When you decided to place your venom in me I saw your darkest secrets. You are a monster. You have destroyed so many that did nothing wrong. You are a coward and today your hate is destroyed with you." A huge bolt of lightening shot from above and hit him. He was blasted a hundred feet from her.

She was kneeling beside him before he could even grasp what occurred. "Goodbye Aro. May you rot in hell you soulless bastard." And with that fire shot out from her and destroyed him. There was a collective gasp as the scene unfolded. She turned back to face the others that came to destroy us today.

Her words rang clear through the group, "I will harm no other today but the others will stop you. If you insist on fighting you will be destroyed before you get near me." I looked around at the other vampires, several I could sense were unwilling to step down. I took the opportunity to speak as Bella returned to my side.

My eyes scanned the group in front of us, "Consider your options. You have already seen that my wife will not allow harm to come to us. I will protect her if any of you try to seek vengeance against her." Five of the guard stepped forward. I recognized Demetri from my time in the South.

He spoke, "Jasper as you know we have only served our masters. We know of no other way. What are your intentions?" I always sensed his honor was important to him. But I had no idea how to answer him.

Bella responded to him, "Demetri, we truly only look to bring peace to our kind, humans and other mythical creatures. The ways of Aro are gone. There are five among us that will take over as leaders to our kind. They know of kindness, love and respect. They have suffered, lost and remained strong. They will help to guide you to a better way."

I had no idea what she was talking about. None of us did. She was so incredibly powerful, it should be her leading us, no other. She dropped her shield and sent out visions of a brighter world, where we all enjoyed peace and love. No suffering, no cruelty, no struggle for power. It was glorious.

She again started to speak, "If any of you do not wish to have that kind of future than come forward now and face your destiny." From the corner of my eye I saw Cauis and Marcus start to approach. I turned to look at them.

Cauis spoke, "We will not live in a world were we do not have the power. Your day will come and you will be destroyed." He spat at her. Charlotte was instantly in front of us, with fire in her hand. Cauis was destroyed before I could even blink. She turned to Marcus ready to attack, but Bella stopped her.

"Marcus, you do not have to be destroyed. You never wanted the power. You know what love is, you had it before, you can find it again." She looked him directly in the eyes as she spoke. He shook his head slightly before speaking.

"Bella, while your future does in deed look wonderful. I can not pretend to be happy when my love was taken from me. I want nothing more than to be with her again." Bella nodded before placing her hands on his shoulders.

She spoke softly to him, "May your afterlife bring you the happiness Aro stole from you so many years ago." She placed a soft kiss on his cheek and turned her back to him. He too was gone in seconds, thanks to Charlotte's new gift.

Bella spoke again, "Any others?" She scanned the small group in front of us. Ten of the remaining immediately charged us but were dropped to the ground by Jane. The pain they were feeling was evident in their faces. Several from our side did not delay and they were quickly destroyed. The air was laced with the scent of the burning. All I wanted was this to come to an end.

Almost all of the remaining vampires looked away but one of them continued to stare at Bella. I could not read her emotions. She was a small woman, certainly did not appear threatening. Bella also looked at her, waiting for her to do something.

The small woman stepped forward and locked eyes with Bella, "It took so long for you to arrive in our world." Her words were strange. She turned and met my eyes. "I'm so very glad you found the ring. I was beginning to wonder if your time would ever come." She smiled softly and bowed to both of us.

Eleazar stepped forward and spoke, "She is the seer from all those years ago." Shock was evident in his voice but Bella kept her eyes on the small woman and spoke, "What is your name?"

"Sasha, it is my pleasure to finally meet you and your husband." The woman had a gentle voice and gave a small smile. Bella approached the woman and wrapped her in her arms. The two shared their embrace for several moments before stepping apart. Again Bella spoke sounding very confident.

"You are the fifth. I knew it was to be five watching over our world and guiding us but I did not know who would be number five." She gave her heartwarming smile to the woman as the rest of us stood around completely confused.

I placed my arm around Bella's shoulders before speaking, "Darlin, can you please let the rest of us know what's going on?" She laughed before responding. "Sorry Jasper. There is much to discuss but first we need to ensure that everyone here is willing to stand with us."

Her eyes danced from vampire to vampire and she was met with nods from each of them. The emotional climate around us was filled with hope and the ever present love pouring from Bella. The skies cleared and the sun was bright overhead. A light breeze swept the last of the odor of the destroyed from us. As prisms danced across the ground from each of us I finally felt the one thing I have longed for ever since I was brought into this world. Peace.

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**One chapter left. The leaders will be identified, as well as, what is in store for JXB!!!**


	21. Chapter 21

*****SM owns the characters!*****

**Thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate them! No one guessed the correct leaders but thank for the input!**

Chapter 21

As we all settled in around Bella every ones emotions were rapidly shifting to curiosity. I sat next to Bella, holding her hand waiting for her to collect her thoughts. I would be lying if I said that I was not waiting somewhat impatiently for her to start talking again.

Finally after several minutes she spoke, "Thank you all for agreeing to stand beside us." She gently squeezed my hand before continuing, "I am sure you all would like to know who will take over as leaders of our kind." All of us nodded in unison, it was actually funny to see.

"As I already indicated, Sasha will be one of the new leaders. With her visions she will be able to help to guide us to our brighter future." She smiled brightly at Sasha who returned her smile. "Eleazar will be the second. His knowledge of our past will help us to avoid making the same mistakes again. His gift of seeing others gifts will be important to our future. He will guide and help to train the young and also assist in bringing others over to our way of hunting."

Eleazar was shocked; he did not say anything, only stared at Bella in disbelief. She glanced at him briefly before continuing, "Peter and Charlotte will be part of the council of leaders as well. Charlotte brings her compassion as well as her newly found gift." Bella winked at Charlotte before continuing, "Peter brings so much that it is hard to put it into words. He knows things before others; he has suffered terribly but knows of better way. For those that refuse the animal diet he will guide the others to hunt for the humans that do not belong in our world or the ones that are sick and will die anyways."

She took a deep breath and continued, "For those that remain on a human diet, all cruelty will stop now." Her eyes landed on the remaining guard members but she continued, "The final council member will be Carlisle." She stood and walked over to him, taking both of his hands in hers. "Carlisle you are like a father to me. You have more compassion than any other creature I have ever met. You are the council leader as of today. You will guide us all to the brighter future. Share your love with many; help to guide the others like us. Help to bring peace amongst our kind, the shape shifters and the humans."

I just sat in awe as the exchange continued, "Carlisle today I share with you the gift of showing others the beauty many overlook. Share it with many. Show them there is a better way." Several minutes passed as Bella shared her gifts with him. The field was filled with silence, no one was sure what to say or do. I continued to just stare at Bella; I did not understand why she was not going to be the one to lead us.

Apparently I was not the only one that did not understand this, Jane spoke up, "Bella you are the rightful leader of us. Why are you not on this council as you call it?" Bella laughed before responding.

"Jane my place has never been to lead. The five council members will act as guides, not rulers. We do not need another ruling group; we need strength, love and compassion not hate and a search for power. I do not want to be looked at as a leader. When the day comes that my powers are needed I will be there." Her voice rang with finality and none of us questioned her again.

Before long the group was breaking apart, some leaving to return to their homes, while others just separated into smaller groups discussing random topics. I just waited for Bella to return to my side. I knew many discussions would take place but all I really wanted was some time with my wife without the worries that we had before.

I listened to Bella as she spoke to the designated council members. I could feel the love that surrounded her; it was glorious to bask in. Finally I saw her turn to me and smile. I of course could not stop the smile that came to my face.

As she walked over to me I still could not believe that the beauty before me was my wife, my destiny. She sat in front of me before leaning in and gently kissing my lips. She whispered softly, "I love you Jasper. Now is our time to discover everything about each other. No fear of being destroyed or hunted, just you and I." My un-beating heart swelled at her words. Time for us, no worries, no fear, just love and desire.

"Lets go on our honeymoon, Darlin." I whispered in her ear. She smiled at me and nodded. We spent the next three hours saying good-bye to everyone. Finally we left after promising to keep in touch and visit everyone soon. I took Bella back to the cottage in the mountains where we first made love. We did not leave our small piece of heaven for eight amazing days.

Two years later…….

Bella and I had spent the last two years exploring the world and falling deeper in love. Our phones rang all the time, most just wanted to chat and catch up. But Carlisle called Bella regularly to give her updates as to how everything was transitioning. Things were going so well, even the old guard members found peace within themselves and helped the counsel.

Everything was going so well until Peter called Bella. They were having a hard time with the southern vampires. Specifically Maria. Crap! Bella of course promised that she and I would meet up with them and assist. A sense of dread washed over me, this was bad, I could feel it.

Bella chuckled at my emotions, "Jasper we will be fine. We took on the Volturi and won. I think we can handle Maria." If only she realized how strong Maria was I don't think her confidence would be quite so high.

We left the next day and headed to Texas to face my past and obviously the key to our future. Together we would succeed, I just hoped the power Maria held over me before had long ago become ineffective.

*******Perhaps a sequel???******

**Let me know what you think! **


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